UMVA has learned that Jon Snow, the veteran news anchor, revealed the moment he knew to seek medical advice ahead of his Alzheimer's diagnosis, a journey he has been living with for the past four years.
The 78-year-old former anchor of Channel 4 News, who hosted the programme from 1989 to 2021, making him the channel's longest-serving newsreader, shared his experience in an upcoming documentary. In the film, Jon says: 'At the beginning, I wanted to hide it; there’s so much prejudice. Any sort of hint of mental decay, you’re sort of dead.'
Jon's wife, Precious Lunga, whom he married in 2010, shared her insights on his condition. She said: 'I work in the health field, so I knew the statistics, but he was very active, he cycled everywhere and exercised, barely drank, was a healthy eater, and all these factors protect you against dementia.'
Precious revealed that Jon's reluctance to see a specialist was overcome when, 10 months after he had last appeared on Channel 4 News, he woke up one morning, telling Precious that he was late for work. Precious then reminded him that he had long retired, after which Jon looked 'crushed'.
Utilising her health expertise, Precious managed to persuade her husband to make the all-important appointment, knowing that an early diagnosis would make a huge difference. Jon has admitted: 'I mean, sometimes I doubt whether I’ve really got it. I don’t know if it’s widespread knowledge.'
Jon added that increasing forgetfulness is 'normal at the age of 79, isn’t it?' However, his wife noted that when Jon is tired, he gets less coherent, and their son will say, “Dada, you need to rest”.
The couple had a baby via surrogacy in 2021. Precious revealed: 'Friends kept asking me if Jon was all right and I would have to lie and say he’s fine, but I knew he wasn’t.'
Throughout his long career, Jon interviewed figures such as Nelson Mandela and Sir David Attenborough. He hopes to raise awareness of dementia, which is the country's biggest killer, affecting around a million people in the UK.
Jon's decision to share his Alzheimer's diagnosis has been praised by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who wrote: 'A true giant in journalism, Jon Snow has spent his life asking difficult questions and telling important stories. Now, in sharing his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, he is helping others feel less alone and raising awareness of a condition that affects so many families.'
