Angela Rippon hits back over being asked if she's 'embarrassed' to discuss dementia

express.co.uk:

Express.co.uk about why she is not "embarrassed" to discuss the disease and what she does to help raise awareness.Angela recalled when she first became an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society.She told Express.co.uk: "I've told this story so many times, talking to a journalist from the national press when I first became an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society."I was happy to talk about the condition and how I personally was involved with it and the effect that it was having on my mum."And I remember the journalist saying to me aren't you embarrassed to be talking about this in public."She continued: "Why would I be?

I mean that but you have to understand that we're talking 10, nearly 20 years ago knowing that there was a stigma attached to dementia, people did not talk about it."Because they didn't talk about it there was a lack of information and a lot of ignorance."People would just say 'Oh mums having a funny turn' and actually not realise what dementia does is kill the brain cells in the brain."Angela's own mother Edna struggled with dementia, after being diagnosed in 2004, leading Angela to want to learn more to help her mother.Speaking about her mother, she detailed: "My late mother Edna, was diagnosed with vascular dementia back in 2003 or 2004, after my father's sudden death from a massive heart attack."At that time I knew very little about dementia, and I realised I needed a bit of help because I was going to be her primary carer right at the beginning."So I rang the Alzheimer's society, asked them for some help and advice and they were very, very supportive and since then I have felt that I wanted to give something back to them."Due to this, she has had a strong involvement with the Alzheimer's Society for.