Brown: 'Windsor leaving is very sad'

EastEnders star June Brown has said that she cried when she heard that Barbara Windsor had decided to leave the soap.

Windsor announced that she had decided to stop working on the show earlier this week, explaining that she wants to spend more time with her family.

Brown, who plays Dot Cotton on the programme, told The People: "It really feels like a death in the family. When Bar told me, we both broke into tears and gave each other a big hug.

"I really can't face life on the show without her. There will still be a few months with Bar around, but when she finally leaves it will be a very sad day for us all.

"She was more like a sister than a colleague. It will be strange walking into the Queen Vic and not seeing her beaming smile behind the bar."

Brown is currently starring in a West End production of Calendar Girls.

> Windsor dreams of West End return