Siân Welby expresses her heartfelt desire for her dementia-stricken father to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day, as she admits feeling heartbroken over the prospect of becoming strangers from him due to his ongoing battle with vascular dementia.
The 37-year-old Capital FM star previously revealed her father Ian, aged 84, had been diagnosed with the condition, despite overcoming challenging battles with cancer and Covid.
Reflecting on her father’s illness, Siân acknowledges the heartbreak of contemplating the possibility that he may one day forget his own children as the disease progresses, noting that he has already experienced a loss of independence and identity.
Appearing on Thursday’s This Morning alongside hosts Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle, Sian shared a video of her and her dad as she candidly explained: ‘We know there is no cure and it will progressively get worse. I literally take everyday as it comes.
‘I think the devastating thing about Alzheimer’s is that it’s one of the cruelest diseases because you are losing their personality and eventually you will become strangers.’
Talking about the disease she admitted: He needed to feel like a dad again. He at one point lost his role as dad because we were doing everything. He couldn’t drive, couldn’t make dinner or do the shopping or fix the car or do anything he normally did.’
‘The thought of someone like your own dad not knowing who you are and that you might walk into a room and he’ll say “Do I know you?” is so possible, that it’s heartbreaking’.
‘I am trying not to miss my old dad but embrace this new dad that I have to be a bit more patient with and make him feel like he still can be my dad.’
She added that she still hopes Ian will walk her down the aisle when she marries radio producer Jake Beckett next year.
She also shared her dad’s pride watching her hosting debut on This Morning last month, which was praised by viewers.
