Who played Peggy Mitchell before Barbara Windsor and how did she die?
PEGGY Mitchell's blonde hair, cockney twang and fierce slap made her the queen of Walford.
The Queen Vic's beloved landlady was renowned for her famous phrases "get outta mah pub" and "let it burn!"
Who played Peggy Mitchell originally in EastEnders?
Peggy Mitchell was originally played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in an episode broadcast in 1991.
Peggy arrived in Walford when her 16-year-old daughter Sam planned to elope with Ricky Butcher.
However, Peggy tried to persuade Sam not to go through with it but eventually changed her mind and left town.
Warne appeared in 17 episodes in total
However, the iconic Barbara Windsor walked into Peggy's shoes in 1994 when she returned as her sons fell out after Phil had an affair with Grant's wife Sharon.
She was able to get the two to reconcile and became the landlady of the Queen Vic.
Peggy, however, was seething at how Sharon got in between her sons, branding her a "slapper" and trying to get her out of the square.
However, she got Sharon to sign over her share of the pub meaning the Mitchells had complete control of it.
Why was Peggy Mitchell recast?
It's unclear as to why Peggy was recast.
However, Jo retired from acting in the 1990s and passed away in 2017.
Jo's acting credits include Grange Hill, Where The Heart Is, and Chalk.
Barbara played Peggy from 1994 until the character's death in 2016.
Babara passed away in December 2020.
Who played young Peggy in EastEnders?
Peggy graced our screens again in July 2022.
Jamie Winstone appeared as the iconic character in a flashback scene, two years after playing Barbara herself in the biopic Babs.
The special episode looked into the past lives of the Mitchells in 1979.
It featured iconic characters including Phil and Grant and a few new faces including Peggy's husband Eric.
Winstone stated: “It’s been such an honour to step into Peggy Mitchell’s shoes for the first time, and into Barbara’s shoes for the second time.
“There’s certainly a healthy amount of pressure when you’re taking on such an iconic role - I thoroughly enjoyed it.
“Playing this role has really cemented my love and admiration for Barbara as I got to bookend my journey by playing Peggy Mitchell – I hope I’ve done her justice and I’ve loved every minute of it, I can’t wait for everyone to see the episode.”
What happened to Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders?
Peggy was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996, which was the first time a character in the soap had suffered from the illness.
She initially had a lumpectomy but when it returned she had to have a mastectomy.
In 2016, Peggy returned to the square to find out that her son Phil had fallen victim to his alcoholism.
She later told him that her breast cancer returned and that she was dying.
In May that year it was revealed that her chemotherapy was not working, with a hospital appointment confirming the cancer had spread to her brain and was terminal.
How did Peggy Mitchell die?
Peggy decided to take her own life by overdosing on medication.
Initally, she tried to get Phil to help her die.
Sharon then called Grant and he told his brother not to assist their mother's suicide.
However, Peggy didn't want to die weak in a hospital bed, leading her to overdose on pills.
The iconic character passed away in 2016.
In her death sequence she imagines her friend Pat, who passed away earlier in the series, was with her.
Phil ended up finding her body and was left devastated.
Who did Peggy sell the Vic to?
After Phil set fire to the pub in a drug fuelled rage, a heartbroken Peggy signed it over to him.
However, Phil had no interest in running the pub and rented it to Alfie and Kat Moon (previously Slater).
However, after Kat had an affair with Derek Branning in 2012, Alfie got with Roxy and she became the new landlady.
Phil then sold the pub to Mick and Linda Carter.
Who was Peggy Mitchell married to in EastEnders?
Peggy spent her storyline as the landlady of the Queen Vic pub often telling people "get outtah my pub".
Her love life wasn't great.
She often dated gangers, philanders, murderers and even incestuous paedophiles.
Peggy was also engaged five times but only married three of them.
She married Phil and Grant's dad Eric, a boxer who worked for gangster Johnny Allen.
He eventually fell in love with another woman, Maureen, after growing to resent his family.
However, he was unable to desert his family for her.
However, this meant he was abusive towards Peggy and Phil.
She eventually turned him into the police for robbery.
Despite this, she still tried to make the marriage work by having their daughter Sam.
In 1985, Eric died.
Peggy dated money launder criminal George Palmer in 1994 and became engaged to him in 1996.
However, she left him after finding out about his criminal activities and he fled to New Zealand when crooks came looking for him.
Peggy then dated Frank Butcher, a car salesman, who she married.
However, she found he'd been planning to leave her for his ex-wife Pat.
She went on to date Harry Slater in 2001, who she also became engaged to.
She even planned to move to Spain with him.
However, this came to an end when she found out he sexually abused his niece Kat.
Peggy decided to move to Brazil with her son Grant and dated Billy Mitchell's father-in-law Jack Edwards but it came to an end when she didn't accept the birth of his granddaughter who has Down's syndrome.
She then went on to date Archie Mitchell, the father of Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell.
They got engaged then married and he began to control her.
However, it was revealed that Archie lied about Ronnie's baby's death and she evicted him from the pub.
It later emerged he raped Stacey and his daughter Ronnie.