Former ITV News presenter Alastair Stewart bravely reveals dementia diagnosis
ok.co.ukAlastair Stewart has bravely revealed he has been diagnosed with dementia three years after stepping down from ITV News.The 71-year-old, who has presented on GB News since 2021, retired from his show Alastair Stewart & Friends in March but has continued to contribute to the channel.
Speaking to Camilla Tominey on the news channel on Sunday, Alastair shared that he started to feel "discombobulated" when doing simple tasks around the house "six to nine months ago." He visited his GP and relayed fears that he may have early-onset dementia, with his doctor sending him for scans that showed he had suffered a series of strokes and does have the syndrome.
Acknowledging that dementia is "incurable," Alastair however revealed he was taking steps to try and ease the condition. He has stopped smoking and is taking his family dogs out on longer walks as well as taking on word puzzles to keep the brain active.To help his memory, he is writing down a lot more notes and said his "very short-term memory is tricky" while "motor skills [are] very tricky".
Alastair told Camilla: "The thing I've found the most difficult thing to deal with is the impact it's had on [my wife] Sally," adding that it was "heartbreaking" to watch the person he loves "almost reduced to a carer".
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