'You grieve the person they were': Emmerdale's Charley Webb tearfully discusses her mother Helen's 'hellish' dementia battle
Emmerdale's Charley Webb choked back tears as she discussed her mother Helen's dementia battle on Friday's This Morning.
The former soap actress, 35, revealed her beloved parent was diagnosed with 'early-onset' eight years ago at the age of just 64.
Charley, who played Debbie Dingle in the ITV show from 2002 to 2021, revealed her family had been through 'hell' and revealed she had been forced to 'grieve for the person' her mother once was.
The ambassador for Alzheimer’s Research UK told hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary: 'There was no support, no help, it was shocking actually, and for me and my siblings it has been eight years of hell'.
'She's now gone into a home and it was the hardest decision we've ever had to make.'
Candid: Emmerdale's Charley Webb, 35, choked back tears as she discussed her mother Helen's dementia battle on Friday's This Morning
Heartbreak: The former soap actress revealed her beloved parent was diagnosed with 'early-onset' eight years ago at the age of just 64 (pictured together)
According to Dementia UK, Dementia is a degeneration of the brain that causes a progressive decline in people's ability to think, reason, communicate and remember.
Their personality, behaviour and mood can also be affected, early-onset is when a person develops symptoms early, between the age of 35 and 65.
Charley, who shares three sons with Emmerdale actor husband Matthew Wolfenden, said how her mum was once a huge part of her career so she was one of the first to notice the forgetfulness.
'As I got into working so young, my mum took over and she started forgetting things. She forgot something huge for me financially'.
Going on to say: 'She thought she was gonna lose her house, and I thought this doesn't make sense. People thought I was just being dramatic but I just knew in my gut that something wasn't right.'
'Getting the diagnosis was a long process. It was very stressful. She had a big personality and was much wilder than me. She was amazing. Seeing that decline is just awful'.
A tearful Charley continued: 'I was pregnant with my middle [son] Bowie. That was traumatic, trying to get the diagnosis is actually a long process'.
'It's difficult, it's hard, it was stressful. She had a big personality, she was much wilder than me. She would stay up until 4 in the morning with my friends, so seeing that decline was awful'.
Honest and open: She told hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary: 'There was no support, no help, it was shocking actually, and for me and my siblings it has been eight years of hell'.
Sadness: The actress revealed she had been forced to 'grieve for the person' her mother once was. (pictured together at Charleys 2018 wedding)
Heartbreak: Charley said how her mum was once a huge part of her career so she was one of the first to notice the forgetfulness (pictured with co-stars Jane Cox and Steve Halliwell in 2002)
She went on to say that she now believes her mum was in denial: 'She was young, she was 64, she never wanted to go to the doctors for anything. They looked for everything else, they checked her thyroid, did tests because I don't think they thought it was that.'
'My mum is so fit and healthy. Very glamorous, hair was always perfect, make-up perfect. You lose them right before your eyes,' she explained.
'That's the hardest thing, because you grieve for the person they were'.
Before revealing: 'She's like a little girl now and it's taken me a long time to be able to talk about it, it's such a personal and big thing but it feels like now is the right time.
'One out of two of us will get dementia or care for someone with dementia, if we can do something about it now we should.'
Speaking out: Charley went on to say that she now believes her mum was in denial: 'She was young, she was 64, she never wanted to go to the doctors for anything. They looked for everything else, they checked her thyroid, did tests because I don't think they thought it was that'
Family: Charley shares three sons with Emmerdale actor husband Matthew Wolfenden and said dealing with her mother's illness during pregnancy was 'traumatic'
Family: She is also the younger sister of Hollyoaks actor Jamie Lomas, 48
Charley revealed that she wanted to talk about it not for others who were going through a similar situation to feel alone.
'You get the diagnosis and you're left to your own devices. And I worry about people who don't have family or siblings. We're really lucky. Support needs to get so much better.'
It comes after Coronation Street icon and fellow soap star Julie Goodyear revealed she is suffering from dementia this week.
The actress, 81, is famed for playing leopard-print loving Rovers Return landlady Bet Lynch in the ITV soap for over 25 years, starting in the role in 1966.
Her beloved husband Scott Brand, 55, released a statement on Wednesday which said: 'My darling wife and I have had to come to terms with this heart-breaking diagnosis.
'Unfortunately, Julie has been suffering forgetfulness for some time and we have been seeking medical advice and assistance.
'No hope of a reversal in the situation': It comes after Coronation Street icon and fellow soap star Julie Goodyear revealed she is suffering from dementia this week (pictured as Bet Lynch in a still from the ITV soap)
'But we now know that there is no hope of a reversal in the situation – and that her condition will get progressively, and perhaps speedily, worse.
‘We have taken the decision to publicly announce the diagnosis as Julie still loves visiting friends and eating out.
'Inevitably she is recognised, and fans love to meet her - and she them - but she can get confused particularly if she is tired. I hope people will understand.’
Julie remains a patron of Willow Wood Hospice in Greater Manchester and has said she wishes to highlight the wonderful work of the hospices who do so much to support patients and families with dementia.
To lean more about dementia, visit the Alzheimer’s Research UK website here.
WHAT IS DEMENTIA?
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of neurological disorders
A GLOBAL CONCERN
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders (those affecting the brain) which impact memory, thinking and behaviour.
There are many types of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common.
Some people may have a combination of different types of dementia.
Regardless of which type is diagnosed, each person will experience dementia in their own unique way.
Dementia is a global concern but it is most often seen in wealthier countries, where people are likely to live into very old age.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED?
The Alzheimer's Society reports there are more than 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK today. This is projected to rise to 1.6 million by 2040.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting between 50 and 75 per cent of those diagnosed.
In the US, it's estimated there are 5.5 million Alzheimer's sufferers. A similar percentage rise is expected in the coming years.
As a person’s age increases, so does the risk of them developing dementia.
Rates of diagnosis are improving but many people with dementia are thought to still be undiagnosed.
IS THERE A CURE?
Currently there is no cure for dementia.
But new drugs can slow down its progression and the earlier it is spotted, the more effective treatments can be.
Source: Alzheimer’s Society
