Loose Women star Ruth Langsford has admitted she is fearful of having Alzheimer’s in the future as both her parents were diagnosis with the disease as she keeps her ‘head in the sand’
TV star Ruth Langsford has revealed she has her “head in the sand” as she thinks about her future health.
The Loose Women presenter has been open about her worries of developing Alzheimer’s as both her parents have been affected by the cruel disease. Her dad Dennis passed away in 2012 at the age of 84, having first shown symptoms of Alzheimer’s’ in the 1990s. In his final years, the former army sergeant was cared for at home by his wife and Ruth’s mother, Joan.
The TV star’s mum later developed dementia herself, and is living in a care home. Ruth has shared her fear is so intense that she has refused to do a test to see her chances of developing it. Despite her deep concerns, Ruth has insisted she wants to live life to the fullest and enjoy her health.
“I’m a bit head in the sand about Alzheimer’s. Both my parents have had it, I know what it entails and it horrifies me,” she told Woman and Home magazine. “There’s a test you can do to know if you are more likely to get it but, because there’s no medication to treat it, I’d rather not know. When I have senior moments, as people call them, I panic.”
Ruth added: “Then I let it go, because I can’t bear to think about that. Live your life, have a glass of wine, see your friends, have some fun because none of us know [what the future holds]. My life is about finding balance. I want to eat as well as I can, but I don’t want to be a bore. I can’t bear being out for dinner with people who go, ‘Is there butter in that?’ I think, ‘Just eat a chip or go home!’”
The TV star, who split from husband Eamonn Holmes last year, previously shared her worries while on the How To Be 60 podcast. She said: “Whenever they say that you can do a test to see if you would be prone to getting Alzheimer’s, I don’t really want to do it, because there’s no cure at the moment.
“If I could do that test and they said: ‘right, now you know, this is what you do to stop you getting it. You have to take this tablet, you have to do these exercises, you have to eat this or don’t eat that.’ But there’s nobody can tell you that, so I almost don’t want to know.” Ruth, who shares son Jack with ex Eamonn, admitted she is often concerned she may be already showing symptoms of dementia.
“But of course, every time I go: ‘where are my glasses?’ and they’re on my head, or: ‘where are my keys? and I have those blank moments where you suddenly forget someone’s name – somebody you know really well. You think: ‘oh my God,’ so of course I worry, with both parents. But I try not to think about it too much, because it’s too depressing.”
The MARCH issue of woman&home is on sale 6th February 2025.
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Dementia UK.
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