09 June 2023 , 10:53
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Charley Webb told of her torment over the decision to put her dementia-sufferer mum into a home and opened up about the moment she 'just knew' their lives were changing.
The former Emmerdale star, 35, has candidly discussed when beloved Helen Webb was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2015.
Appearing on This Morning, the actress says she has been living in 'hell' for the past eight years after watching his parent deteriorate in front of her eyes.
She was invited on following the news that Coronation Street icon Julie Goodyear ’s husband revealed her dementia diagnosis on Tuesday.
Charley, who shares three children with husband Matthew Wolfenden, told Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond the exact moment that she "just knew" life was about to change for the entire family.
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Charley Webb spoke about her mum's condition on This Morning (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Helen Webb was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2015 (ITV)Helen was 64 when doctors told them all the news but the soap star says the battle begun months before.
"She forget something huge for me financially, and it was then that I though this is serious," she said on the ITV show.
"Then she was convinced she was about to lose her house, she got a letter. At first people thought I was being quite dramatic, as I am quite dramatic.
"But I knew in my gut that something wasn't right."
She called for more support and says the family felt totally alone before making the decision to move their mum into a specialist care home.
She called for more support for families (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)"Trying to get the diagnosis is very difficult, very stressful and very hard," she added.
"There is no support and no help. It was shocking. When you find out, it's 'off you go'.
"Where do you start? It's been eight years of hell from myself and my siblings.
"My mum is now in a home and it's the hardest decision we've ever had to make."
She said of her mum: "She was so much wilder than me - she would stay up until 4am with my friends long after I'd gone to bed.
'So fed up of tiresome pal flirting with my husband and always putting me down'
"My mum was fit, healthy and always looked glamorous. Then you lose them in front of your eyes and you grieve for the person that they were.
Dermot O'Leary, Alison Hammond and Professor Sebastian Crutch discussed dementia (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)"It's taken me a long time to be able to talk about it, but she is like a little girl now.
"Seeing the decline is just so awful. When you find out, you know that life is about to change so dramatically. "
Charley's character Debbie last appeared on the ITV soap in February 2021, after the actress returned from maternity leave just a few months earlier.
The star officially confirmed her soap future on Instagram in January 2022, telling her followers: "This is always my most asked question but I've never answered it before because I've never wanted to make a big deal of it.
"I left to have Ace 2 years ago. I went back at the end of last year for 10 weeks to complete a storyline. So, I guess officially it's been a year. I never felt the need to announce it which is why we didn't."
For more information about dementia and where people can get help, you can visit the Alzheimer’s Research UK website here.