Shane Richie recalled the last touching message he received from Dame Barbara Windsor tonight as The One Show paid tribute to the EastEnders legend.
The actor, who played Alfie Moon in the BBC soap, opened up about his experiences with Barbara, who he affectionately called 'the Duchess'.
The Carry On legend sadly died on Thursday aged 83 following her Alzheimer's diagnosis in 2014.
Her husband Scott Mitchell announced the news late last night, who said that the actress' final weeks were "typical of how she lived her life" and "full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end".
Speaking to Alex Jones tonight, Shane said that prior to his phone being taken away for I'm A Celebrity, he received a text from Scott Mitchell, Dame Barbara's husband.
He said: "I got a text from Scott and he left a message saying 'The Duchess sends her love - just be yourself' and that was one of the last messages before she sadly passed away, which obviously I'm going to keep forever.
"To me, she will always be the Duchess."
Patsy Palmer also appeared on the show tonight but struggled to speak as she cried after watching a montage of Barbara's best bits.
"She was very funny," Patsy told host Alex Jones, who had been joined by Shane in the studio. "Obviously we were great friends, off screen I was close with Scott. So many years of so many memories.
"She just was the most professional person there ... she always looked after June [Brown], took her to lunch."
Patsy continued with a laugh: "She just is the ultimate professional and she knew that we all knew what we were supposed to be behaving like."
Shane also became emotional and was unable to read out fans' recollections of meeting Barbara.
Earlier, he explained that Barbara had helped him get the part of Alfie Moon as she pressed execs to take him on.
After Shane was offered the role, Barbara sent him a bottle of champagne and Shane joked that he had never let him forget it.
"Without her I probably wouldn't be sitting here," he said. "She was loved up and down the country."
*The One Show airs weekdays at 7pm on BBC One
*The One Show airs weekdays at 7pm on BBC One
