Barbara Windsor has died aged 83

Iconic performer Barbara Windsor has died at the age of 83 following a battle with Alzheimer's.

Windsor, who was renowned for her turn as Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders and her appearances in nine Carry On films, worked with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop during its heyday at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, appearing in stage production Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be at the east London venue.

Born in Shoreditch in 1937, she had made her West End debut by the age of 15. She won a Tony Award nomination for her appearance in Oh, What a Lovely War! when it headed to Broadway in 1964, and also appeared in musicals such as Twang!! and Come Spy With Me.

In 1972 she starred alongside Vanessa Redgrave in The Threepenny Opera, with other roles including Kath in Joe Orton's 1981 Entertaining Mr Sloane and toured with the show in 1993.

A panto regular, her last appearance on stage was in Dick Whittington at Bristol Hippodrome from 2010. Notably, she began her career on stage in panto at the age of 13 – coming full circle, in a sense.