Coronation Street star Julie Goodyear is living with dementia, her husband has announced today.
Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK, affecting almost one million people in the UK today. There are currently no treatments available to slow, stop or prevent the diseases, most commonly Alzheimer’s, that cause it.
Alzheimer’s Research UK is the UK’s leading dementia research charity, working to revolutionise the way we treat, diagnose and prevent the condition.
Hilary Evans-Newton, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
“Our hearts go out to Julie Goodyear and her family, following the announcement that she is living with dementia. So many of us have such fond memories of watching Julie on screen, playing the iconic role of Bet Lynch. It is incredibly brave of Julie’s husband to share this news and help raise much-needed awareness of dementia, a condition affecting almost one million people in the UK today.
“With no treatments to slow or stop the diseases that cause dementia, a diagnosis is truly heartbreaking. Tragically many more families like Julie’s will go on to experience the devastation it causes because, if nothing changes, one in two people will be directly affected by dementia. They will either develop the condition themselves, care for someone with it, or both. As the UK’s leading dementia research charity, we have vowed to put a stop to dementia by finding a cure.
“If you have questions about dementia, you can contact our Dementia Research Infoline on 0300 111 5 111 between 9.00-5.00pm Monday to Friday or send an email to infoline@alzheimersresearchuk.org”
Photo credit: Terry Daum via Flickr used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.