ITV This Morning star shares 'cruel' dementia update as dad can't remember her daughter's name

This Morning star Sian Welby has shared a sad update on her dad's health after he was diagnosed with dementia.

The 37-year-old radio presenter, who became a mother for the first time in June 2024, has shared the heartache of her father Ian's dementia, as he sadly can't recall his granddaughter Ruby's name.

Sian, who joined Dermot O'Leary as a co-host on the daytime show last year, has previously spoken candidly about her fears over her dad's deteriorating health, admitting she was "frightened" at the prospect of losing the man she knew.

In a recent heartfelt discussion on The Lulu Podcast, Sian opened up about the "cruel" nature of her father's illness and its toll on her family, yet expressed gratitude that her father still recognises her.

She reflected: "I'm very close to my dad. He's very funny, he is very sharp, so it's scary to think I was going to lose that because it's him, you know?

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"That's what's so cruel about it, that you won't wish on anyone. You're gonna lose the person.

"They're physically going to be there, but gradually, bit by bit, you're losing them. That was just horrible to imagine."

She went on: "I'm very lucky - and I will say it out loud - I'm lucky that my dad seems to have reached a very stable stage where he's not particularly getting worse, he's having good days and bad days, but he still knows who I am, he knows I have a baby, he doesn't know her name, that doesn't bother me, but he always remembers that I've got a baby."

Sian has candidly shared her father's health struggles, including his harrowing experience with Covid-19 in 2022 following a cancer diagnosis, which saw him drop six stone in two weeks.

In a heartfelt interview last year with OK!, the Capital radio host recounted: "Thankfully, he won the fight. But it was awful. I don't know how he didn't die. There were some real low moments."

She recalled a particularly poignant moment: "At one point, he thought we'd put him in a home; he was so disoriented."

Sian added that she still feels "very lucky" that her father recognises her.

“He was overwhelmed, seeing me on the telly every day, the other week. When he’s in the moment, he’s very present,” she went on.

This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.