STAR GOES STRAIGHT FROM
Sharon is preparing to return to the city to play someone who will need medical care for the rest of her life as she battles early- onset Alzheimer’s.
The actress is starring in the play Still Alice, which follows a renowned academic as she battles dementia at the age of just 50.
Sharon, from Drumchapel, Glasgow, said taking on the role and speaking to people who are suffering from the condition has made her appreciate every day.
She added: “It’s taught me to be blessed and live life as well and as strong as you can.
“There is no cure. I now have much more awareness of the disease. It happens years before it becomes more apparent.
“Something that comes up in the play is that she thinks the symptoms must be menopausal.
“Sometimes, people don’t know until they fall over flat on their face.
“It is scary but it also makes me realise you still have plenty of life left in you, hopefully.”
Sharon, 51, who has starred in shows including The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, is passionate about the play. Still Alice is also a book and a film.
She worked with dementia suf ferer Wendy Mitchel l this year to raise awareness of the disease.
Still Alice was put on in Leeds as part of a festival called Every Third Minute, which highlights the rate at which someone in the UK starts living with dementia.
Sharon said: “I had a lot of reaction i n Leeds f rom people who had experienced living