‘It broke my heart’
The shock news about Barbara Windsor prompted TV presenter Ruth Langsford, 58, to revisit her own dad’s heartbreaking battle with dementia. Dennis, who died in 2012 aged 84, had lived with Alzheimer’s for 13 years. Ruth revealed, ‘It’s frightening, but there is also a sense of relief when you’re given that diagnosis.’ She added, ‘I hope that doesn’t sound strange. But when you know something is wrong and you’ve been looking into it and wondering and wondering, “Why are they behaving like this?”… ’ She also explained how her mum, Joan, had tried to keep his condition a secret, until Ruth and her sister convinced her they had to come clean and, towards the end, had to put him into care. ‘It broke my heart,’ said Ruth.
In January, an emotional Ruth, 58, broke down on Loose Women as she spoke of her family’s experiences, saying, ‘I was grieving and losing my dad, but my mum was losing the love of her life. They had years of memories. You don’t often hear people talking about that side of it.’
Alzheimer’s ravaged Dennis’ memory to the point where he didn’t recognise Ruth. ‘Sometimes he’d stare deeply at my face, as though he was thinking, “I know this girl.”’ Ruth recalled. ‘Eventually he forgot Mum, too, despite her visiting every day.’
Painful as it must be, we can only thank stars like Ruth for keeping the conversation about this devastating condition alive.