Tanya Franks shared gushing post about Barbara Windsor's husband Scott Mitchell months before confirming relationship

EastEnders star Tanya Franks shared a social media post praising the widow of Dame Barbara Windsor months before the pair confirmed their relationship.

It’s recently been revealed that three years after the death of his wife, Scott Mitchell, 60, has found love again in soap star, Tanya Franks, 55.

According to The Sun, the couple have apparently gone official while on holiday together in Greece.

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In a statement, Mitchell said: “Thanks for your kind wishes. Life feels really good right now and we are enjoying some special time together.”

Before the confirmation, Franks herself took to Instagram to commend her now-boyfriend for the support he had given her while running the London Marathon for the first time.

The original post was made in April and consisted of two photographs. These featured herself and Mitchell alongside fellow EastEnders actor Adam Woodyatt, 55, and his son, Sam, 27.

In the caption, the star wrote to her 51,900 followers: “6 hours and 15 minutes!!! I never thought I would complete 1 London Marathon in my life let alone that yesterday’s was my 3rd.”

“I couldn’t be more grateful to @londonmarathon for being amazingly encouraging in their support and for giving thousands of people this opportunity every year.”

She continued to say that she was, 'very proud' of her teammates but 'particularly' in awe of the 60-year-old himself.

She said that Mitchell, 'has the hugest of hearts, pulled us all together, and stayed with me to walk the final 11.7 miles when my knee niggle only allowed me to run the first 15.5.'

“Thank you, Scott,” Franks added.

Before her death in 2020, Dame Barbara allegedly gave her husband her ‘blessing’ to find love again.

In an interview with Best Magazine the widower said: “Before she died, Barbara told me to cry, be broken-hearted, then have the best time.

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“Knowing Barbara, she would have remarried – a nice 25-year-old by now!”

He also stated that it was time to 'think about me and my future', but reiterated that Windsor would 'always be a massive part' of his life.

The actor, who played legendary landlady Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014.

Six years later, she was moved to a care home in London for five months before she died, aged 83.

At the time of the Dame’s death, Mitchell told the PA news agency: “Her passing was from Alzheimer’s/dementia and Barbara eventually died peacefully and I spent the last seven days by her side.

“Barbara’s final weeks were typical of how she lived her life. Full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end.”

“It was not the ending that Barbara or anyone else living with this very cruel disease deserves,” he continued.

“I will always be immensely proud of Barbara’s courage, dignity and generosity dealing with her own illness and still trying to help others by raising awareness for as long as she could.”