Dame Barbara Windsor is struggling with lockdown measures because she can't understand why people aren't visiting her.

The 82-year-old actress suffers from Alzheimer's disease and is used to close friends and family often being in her home to check on her welfare and so her pal Christopher Biggins admitted the last few months during the coronavirus pandemic have been frustrating for her and her husband Scott Mitchell, who has been doing his best to explain why they have had no callers.

He told The Sun newspaper: ''She's a little confused as to what's going on because no one can visit her.

''She's used to having a lot of visitors but now she's asking why people have stopped coming to see her.

''It's not because she thinks 'they don't like me' because her husband Scott explains to her but she just forgets the explanation and she asks all the time.

''So it's a frustrating time for them both.''

Meanwhile, the 71-year-old actor has called for pantomime season to be cancelled now, despite many theatres relying on the income from the festive shows, because it would be impossible to retain social distancing.

Christopher - who is due to star in a production of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' in Kent, said: ''I honestly do believe this is the year we have to rest pantomime down and come back with a vengeance in 2021.

''As a performer of my age standing on the stage in front of 1500 people sneezing and coughing and doing all sorts of things at me, I worry.

''Also, how are they going to let people into the theatres?

''They can't stagger them in two metres apart and they can't watch with masks on, how's that going to help the laughter?

''And we can't be two metres apart on stage. What about the poor cow in our pantomime? That's someone is right up their a**e.

''So we'd have to cut the cow from the show and we can't have that.

''It's touch and go most years for theatres surviving and up until now they've been kept alive for at least six months because of the money made from pantomime.''