My acting keeps me Fairly sane
FAIR City star Una Crawford O’brien has said she will never quit the RTE One soap – admitting it keeps her sane.
The actress, who plays Renee Phelan, stars alongside her long-term partner Bryan Murray, who plays Bob Charles.
Una admitted that while it can sometimes be “difficult” caring for Bryan, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2022, she is determined to keep working.
Speaking at the launch of Alzheimer’s Tea Day, which takes place on May 2, she said: “It’s my sanity. It is what keeps me going and I love it and I have always loved it.
“It can be very difficult. Like at the beginning of the year, I suppose I did take a nosedive. The fact that I had broken my foot and I couldn’t get around, I had to sit with it elevated for nearly three months.
MEMORY
“It didn’t register with Bryan that there was anything wrong with me, even though he saw me in plaster or in a boot or whatever.
“I just felt, what was the future holding for us because last year we had the play to look forward to but this year, his memory is worse.
“But I’ve bounced back, we just take it one day at a time.”
Una also revealed she helps jog Bryan’s memory with a book full of pictures of special moments.
She said: “Last year he won the lifetime achievement award, which he forgot the next day, but I printed off all the photos and when he sees that, he’s very excited.”
But she admitted she misses how much he made her laugh when they first got together.
She said: “He was funny and that’s gone, he’s not the person he was. Even though inside he still is.
“So those sort of things have been lost.”