I miss my fun-loving Julie whose smile lit up every room ... it is so painful to watch her fade away
AS pub landlady Bet Lynch, Julie Goodyear delighted Corrie fans with her sharp tongue, quick wit and leopard-print outfits as she ruled the Rovers Return.
And husband Scott Brand told how in real life the actress brought that same joy to everyone she met.
But the 55-year-old has revealed the happiness has now vanished into the past as he gradually loses the woman he loves to dementia.
Julie, 81, announced last June she had the debilitating disease.
Heartbroken Scott said: “I miss the fun-loving wife that Julie had always been. The larger-than-life personality that brightened up everywhere she went, and the smile that lit up every room. All of this is now slowly fading away and it’s extremely painful for me to watch this deterioration.
“Julie now struggles recognising people and everyone she meets is called ‘Scott’. Julie has always been extremely glamorous, going nowhere without her makeup.
“But now the lipsticks and make-up go unworn, and clothes are no longer of interest, especially the leopard print.” The couple, who wed in 2007, met when Scott delivered some plaster to renovate Julie’s home near Rochdale, Gtr Manchester. She had joined Corrie in 1966 and was awarded an MBE for her services to drama in 1996. Bet became one of the best loved on the cobbles until Julie left in November 2003.
Now, she relies on a wheelchair to get around and Scott told how he longs for the days they spent enjoying romantic meals, holidays and walking hand in hand.
He said: “One of the biggest things is our holidays. Julie loved going away and would always look forward to our adventures together, but this has now stopped. We no longer go away, and I can no longer go away either as I would never leave Julie.”
After giving up his career to become his wife’s full-time carer, Scott realised the small freedoms he had previously taken for granted such as having a drink or watching the football with pals were over.
He added: “All these things now have to be planned in advance, and you can be so exhausted that it’s not worth the effort to go.
“I’m now aware that if there was an emergency, and I needed to drive, I wouldn’t be able to. So alcohol is off-limits. For me, the hardest part was accepting and coming to terms with the diagnosis.
“At the beginning I refused to accept any support, thinking I could cope as we have always been quite private people.
“This, in reality, didn’t last for long and I soon realised I needed to ask for help as I couldn’t do it by myself.
“I wasn’t coping and needed to seek support. Caring for Julie is my priority,
The lipstick and make-up go unworn, clothes are no longer of interest to her
but my health was being affected and as a lone carer I felt it was killing me.
“Julie had always dealt with the finances but now she cannot even recognise the value of money.
“I was suddenly thrown into having to sort out the household affairs, something Julie had always managed with ease and perfection.
“It was like being thrown into a new world of having to do everything by myself. I would advise anyone going through this journey to accept help straight away.” Now, the couple have
thrown their support behind a new TV advert by the Alzheimer’s Society, describing the charity as a “lifeline”.
Called the Long Goodbye, it is narrated by actor Colin Firth and shows how the relentless progression of dementia causes people to “die again and again and again”.
Scott said: “Not being able to spontaneously go out as husband and wife, holding hands as we stroll along, going for meals together and going
DESPITE high-profile people like Julie Goodyear and Fiona Phillips having been diagnosed with dementia, increased publicity has not translated into major action.
Nearly 80% of respondents to a survey weren’t aware that one in three people born in the UK today will get dementia. Despite it affecting over shopping, all these losses for me symbolise the Long Goodbye.”
The charity has provided a dementia adviser to ease the burden on Scott and help him navigate the aid available.
Greater action is needed... it’s not a big enough priority
900,000 people in the UK, dementia is not the priority it should be.
This is evident by how hard it is to even get a diagnosis, which is the vital
Without this support I don’t know how I would have coped. It’s been a lifeline SCOTT ON HELP PAIR HAVE FROM ALZHEIMER’S SOCIETY
He said: “Since receiving Julie’s diagnosis, the support we have had from our dementia adviser Julie Mann has been amazing. I couldn’t have managed without it.
“She has helped me to understand what dementia is and supported us in applying for financial entitlements. She has encouraged me to get our affairs in order and put plans in place for the future.
“She has listened when I didn’t
know what to do and has guided me on getting the right care package in place that suits both of our needs. Without this support I really don’t know how I would have coped.
“It was a lifeline when we both needed one and continues to be so.”
The Alzheimer’s Society’s new TV ad, launched as part of the Long Goodbye campaign, shows a son delivering the eulogy at his mother’s funeral, recalling the moments in her life when part of her “died”.
The charity revealed one in three British people born today will develop the condition. Dementia is also the UK’S biggest killer, with more than a million people affected.
Alzheimer’s Society’s CEO Kate Lee said: “This campaign seeks to tell the unvarnished truth about the devastation caused by dementia and it is very much informed by people affected by the condition.
“The loved ones of people with dementia often describe it as a ‘living grief ’ as, bit by bit, the disease’s relentless progression causes part of the person to die…again and again and again.
“But there is hope. Alzheimer’s Society, through its support services, is there for people affected again and again as they face the grim reality of the long goodbye.”