It’s been seven years since Emmerdale vicar Ashley Thomas died after a long battle with dementia – but the condition has gone far beyond the reaches of Soapland
Up until the worst occurs, it’s simple to view our favorite Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and EastEnders cast members as flawless.
However, a number of celebrities have tragically suffered from major illnesses over the years, dementia included. Alzheimer’s has gained attention because to soap opera stories, such as Emmerdale vicar Ashley Thomas’s seven-year battle with the illness.
But art is a reflection of life, and celebrities like Dame Barbara Windsor have struggled with dementia. When the Carry On icon was still filming EastEnders, she became aware of the disease’s early symptoms and lost her memory for her lines.
“At this point Barbara had just left Eastenders in 2010 and just before that she told me she was struggling a bit with her lines, something she never did,” her widow Scott Mitchell disclosed. Vanessa Feltz was one of the first people to realize something was wrong, according to Scott.
“You may not remember this, Vanessa, but I think the only person in show business, around 2016, 2017 you said to me at a function, ‘Is Barbara okay, Scott, because she doesn’t seem herself?'” he stated in a TalkTV interview with her.
Barbara Windsor
In April 2014, EastEnders veteran Barbara Windsor said that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She made a plea for people to “support ground-breaking research to find a cure for a condition that affects so many people, like me,” while discussing her personal illness in a video. We can and will use research to end dementia with your assistance.
“Despite all the changes in Barbara, there is still so much of her there,” her widow Scott clarified. Her kindness, intelligence, and sense of humor, for instance. We have always laughed a lot, and her sense of humor is what I adore most.
However, when her illness worsened, Barbara went into a care facility in London in July 2020. At the time, Scott said, “I feel like I’m on an emotional rollercoaster,” to The Sun. I move around, making an effort to be occupied, and then I start crying. It is akin to experiencing a loss.”
There is no scientific proof to support Scott’s theory that Barbara’s condition was caused by an automobile accident. In 2002, the singer was driven “headfirst into the partition” by the driver of a black taxi as it attempted to avoid a vehicle in London but braked too late.
“I always believed that was the very beginning of Barbara’s ill health,” Scott stated. She never really was the same.
He described the major symptoms of her condition to an audience at Wimbledon BookFest, describing how they started out as forgetfulness that got worse, finding objects in the incorrect places (such the TV remote control in the fridge or the sink), repetitious and confused conversations, and intermittent episodes of the disorder. however, throughout this period following the diagnosis, she returned to Eastenders a few occasions.
Eventually, Barbara would inquire, “Are we married?” after forgetting who her spouse was. In December 2020, she passed away at the age of 83.
Julie Goodyear
Julie Goodyear, well known from Coronation Street as the cigarette-wielding, leopard-print-loving Bet Lynch, revealed her Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2023. In a heartbreaking update, her spouse has now acknowledged that she is “slowly fading away.”
“I miss the fun-loving wife that Julie had always been,” her husband Scott Brand stated to The Mirror. “I miss her larger-than-life personality that brightened everywhere she went, and her smile that lit up every room.” Now that everything is gradually disappearing, I am going through a great deal of grief to witness this decline.”
Julie now finds it difficult to identify people, and Scott disclosed signs of his “long goodbye.” “All these losses for me symbolise the long goodbye,” he continued. “Not being able to spontaneously go out as husband and wife, holding hands as we stroll along, going for meals together and going shopping.”
Along with losing interest in her appearance, she has stopped wearing leopard-print clothing and stopped wearing makeup. Scott, assisted by a Dementia Advisor, left his career to care for Julie.
Meg Johnson
Meg Johnson, an Emmerdale actress, fought dementia “for the last few years” of her life, according to a statement released after her death in 2023 at the age of 86.
“We announce with great sadness that actress Meg Johnson passed away peacefully yesterday evening surrounded by her family,” said a statement confirming the Pearl Ladderbanks star’s passing. Meg was a kind, gentle woman who exuded warmth and had a constant sparkle in her eye.
Meg had a fantastic career, which came to an end in 2003 when she portrayed Pearl Ladderbanks in Emmerdale. Despite suffering from dementia for a few years, Meg persevered in her personal and professional life. Everyone who knew her will miss her terribly.
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