ITV This Morning star Sian Welby gives heartbreaking update on dad’s dementia
Rising This Morning star Sian Welby has given an update on her dementia-stricken father - revealing his memory is failing sharply.
The 37-year-old radio host has seen her star profile boosted in recent weeks as she has taken a more prominent role on ITV’s This Morning. Having previously been a segment host, she has stepped up to co-host the show with 50-year-old Dermot O’Leary as the show continues to rotate its roster of talent in the aftermath of Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby’s dramatic exists last year.
Reports have suggested that Sian could even become the main co-host of the daytime show - replacing 42-year-old Holly. With public interest in the presenter rising, her family health troubles have touched many of her new fans.
Sian has previously revealed her 84-year-old dad , Ian, had been diagnosed with syndrome - which affects brain function - opening up a bout his health struggles during an episode of This Morning. She told Dermot it was “devastating”, and added: “You're scared to lose a person that you know, it is quite frightening! Like you say, would I want to take a test knowing I could be susceptible to it?”
Now Sian has given a further update on her father’s health, telling OK! Magazine that he loses track of time and struggles to recall things that have just happened. She said: "If someone calls, he puts the phone down and can't remember who it was. If mum pops out to the shops, he can't remember when she left - or when she's coming back."
Corrie's Sue Cleaver says I'm A Celebrity stint helped her to push boundariesThe TV and radio star also opened up about the strain she felt in the past when her father battled cancer and Covid-19 - admitting she doesn't know how he survived. She said: “Thankfully he won the fight. But it was awful. I don’t know how he didn’t die. There were some real low moments. At one point he thought we’d put him in a home, he was so disorientated.”
Sian had taken to social media to pose alongside Amanda Holden and Emma Bunton and asked her fans to send their support to her father. She recalls that this did help boost his energy. She said: “He knew them both from the telly. They were just some of the names going, ‘Come on Ian, you can do this!’ I printed out the thousands of comments for him to read through. A kind comment means so much. He’d been close to giving up, but that was a turning point.”
Since she started appearing more prominently on This Morning, Sian has attracted an army of new fans - with many taking to social media to send words of encouragement. One fan, writing on X, declared: “@Sianwelby @thismorning Nice to see Siân on #thismorning Very professional and engaging #goodcall" while a different account put: "#ThisMorning I'm really enjoying the @Sianwelby and @radioleary mix.. they work well together. Well done to Sian, it must be nerve wracking presenting such a big morning show, she's doing great."