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Alastair Stewart has been praised by charities for ‘encouraging’ others after revealing his dementia diagnosis.
The former ITV newsreader, 71, said that this setback in his health was why he had chosen to retire from regular broadcasting back in March.
Stewart is battling early onset vascular dementia, which he shared in an interview on Sunday morning with Camilla Tominey.
He explained that he had decided to visit his GP about six to nine months ago after he began to feel ‘a bit discombobulated’.
According to the NHS, the common condition is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, which has symptoms including slowness of thought and problems with concentration.
The journalist and broadcaster also shared how the diagnosis has impacted on his day-to-day life, admitting that he’s writing down a lot more notes now and that his ‘very short-term memory is tricky’, alongside his motor skills.
Victoria Lyons, Dementia UK’s Senior Consultant told Metro.co.uk: ‘We’re sorry to hear that Alastair Stewart has been diagnosed with dementia, and hope that he and his family are receiving the support and assistance they need at this time.
‘By choosing to speak publicly about his diagnosis, Alastair will raise vital awareness of dementia and we hope that this will encourage others to seek advice if they have concerns for their brain health.’
Kate Lee, CEO of Alzheimer’s Society, added: ‘We are so sorry to hear that Alastair Stewart has been diagnosed with dementia and our thoughts are with him and his family.
‘Speaking so candidly about his symptoms and subsequent diagnosis will really help increase public understanding of dementia – a condition that one in three people born in the UK today will go on to develop.
‘Dementia devastates lives, but we need to get everyone talking about it because a problem of this scale won’t go away on its own.’
She concluded: ‘Receiving a diagnosis can be frightening, but we believe it’s better to know. We’re so grateful to Alastair for encouraging people worried about potential symptoms to seek advice. Our website alzheimers.org.uk has plenty of resources, including a downloadable symptoms checklist that people can take with them to their GP.’
The journalist and broadcaster also shared how the diagnosis has impacted on his day-to-day life, admitting that he’s writing down a lot more notes now and that his ‘very short-term memory is tricky’, alongside his motor skills.
He revealed that the ‘most difficult [thing] to deal with’, however, has been the impact it has had on his wife Sally.
‘We’ve been married for nearly half a century, and, you know, your life partner, your lover, all of those descriptions that are personal and intimate, that person is reduced – I choose my words very carefully – almost to a carer,’ he shared.
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