Broadcasting icon Alastair Stewart, 71, bravely shares dementia diagnosis
Alastair Stewart, 71, has revealed he has been diagnosed with vascular dementia months after retiring from his permanent role on ITV.
The former ITV journalist retired from his permanent role with the broadcaster in March this year – but continues to contribute occasionally to GB News. And now, the TV star has revealed he has been diagnosed with vascular dementia and explained how his "very short term memory" has become "tricky" while his motor skills are also "very tricky".
In a candid appearance on GB News today, Alistair explained he visited his GP around six to nine months ago after feeling "discombobulated" and was left fearing he had "early-onset dementia".
Alastair told GB News presenter Camilla Tominey he underwent scans and discovered he had suffered a series of small strokes and was diagnosed with the disease. While they acknowledged dementia is "incurable" he is taking numerous steps to alleviate the condition.
He explained on the programme: "About six to nine months ago I began to feel a bit discombobulated. I wasn't forgetful but things like doing your shoelaces up properly, making sure your tie was straight, remembering the call time for your programme is four o'clock not five o'clock – not turning up early or late – and stuff like that. And I then decided I might have something wrong up here. So I went to see my GP who is brilliant and I said, 'I'm really worried I might have dementia – early onset dementia' and the GP, to his credit, said: 'I don't know, I've no idea. Sometimes people of your age – particularly if they've had a fascinating, active life – try to find excuses because they can't cope with old age. But the only way you can find out is if you have a scan'."
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Alastair Stewart has revealed his dementia diagnosis (GB NEWS)"I had a scan," he recalled. "And it was like a scene from Casualty or Emergency Ward 10 because the results came back and I had indeed had a series of minor strokes – that are called infract strokes. Not the big one where your face falls down and your arm goes doolally. But it's like pepper shots and the cumulative effect of that is that I had a diagnosis of early onset vascular dementia."
Alastair explained his team at GB News were supportive and "drew together as one and backed me" and remains as a contributor to the channel. He announced his retirement from ITV in March after more than 50 years as a journalist at the broadcaster.
In a statement, he announced: "I’m nearly 71 and I still get the most tremendous lift from live television – it’s the best job in the world."
"However, the rigours of preparing for two live interview shows a week, and commuting from Hampshire to London for them, are considerable," he continued. "I want to reduce my commitment while I’m still ahead as an old broadcaster, rather than an ancient one. Thankfully the timing is mine; I just want to spend more of it with my family, my horses, and the charities that have meant so much to me over the years."
Alastair retired from ITV earlier this year (ITV)He continued: "It’s been a privilege to complete my regular broadcasting career with a sparky start-up like GB News that’s challenging the traditional moulds I’ve known for so long.
"It’s kept me on my toes, taught me new tricks, but above all GB News has liberated me. I’ve had the freedom to cover the stories I’m passionate about, interview the people I want, and to offer my perspective more freely than I’ve been allowed to in the past."
"I’m grateful to everyone at GB News, but also to all the fabulous colleagues I’ve known throughout these many years. Quite simply, I couldn’t have done any of it without them," Alastair added. Before retiring, Alastair was one of the main newsreaders at ITV News for more than 35 years, anchoring News at Ten and providing commentary for special programmes such as Royal Weddings, elections, budgets, and State Openings of Parliament.
He had reported on huge stories such as the 1980s miners’ strike, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first Gulf War from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and was the first British journalist to cover the liberation of Kuwait.
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