Channel 4 star feared she was having a stroke when health battle left her unable to speak

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson has opened up about a terrifying episode where she thought she was suffering a stroke at King's Cross Station.The Channel 4 star is shedding light on the issue of dementia, sharing her personal connection due to her father Jim's struggle with vascular dementia.Jim Richardson, 83 and a former canon pastor at Sherborne Abbey in Dorset, has been living with the illness for over ten years, leaving Anna to describe producing a documentary about her family's trials as "the hardest thing I've ever done".In a candid chat with The Times, Anna revealed that after the scare at the station, she took herself to get checked out by a doctor, fearing it might be early signs of dementia.

Anna shared: "I've suddenly started to panic about forgetting words. I'm also getting migraines, which I think are menopause related.

A couple of months ago, I was in King's Cross station and my head was so bad that I felt unsteady on my feet. I couldn't speak or focus, and I thought I was having a stroke.

I was so freaked out that I went to a neurologist for brain scans. You think, have I got dementia? "At 54-years-old, Richardson has voiced her frustrations about the insufficient "help, support and understanding" offered around dementia, highlighting it as "the biggest health and social care crisis we're facing".In a conversation with The Times, Anna expressed that the issue lies in our perception of dementia as an inevitable part of ageing, rather than a condition we can protect ourselves from starting in midlife.She stated: "The bottom line is that we think it's an old people's disease, and we don't give a shit about old people in this country.