Alastair Stewart has shared details about what’s next for him as he joined Nigel Farage on his GB News show on Monday night. Reflecting on his career during the programme, the 71-year-old said he was “sad” to retire from the news channel following his dementia diagnosis earlier this year, but revealed it’s not the last viewers will see of him.
After his appearance on the show, one fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I miss @AlStewartOBE. He was excellent! I’m glad he’s not too bad, just not up to the rigours of broadcasting anymore. But we don’t forget him.” Alastair replied: “Just not up to a regular slot and 24/7 weekend working! Occasional appearances and special one- offs! @GBNEWS.”
A second wrote of his guest appearance: “You were great. So good to see you again,” while a third added: “It was lovely to hear you on @GBNEWS earlier tonight.”
During his chat with Nigel on the show, Alastair said it was “wonderful” to learn that the new studio had been named after him. He went on say that despite retiring as a full-time host, he had “stayed on the books” to return as a guest both on GB News and other programmes.
Addressing his retirement, he continued: “When I became ill, before I had the formal diagnosis of vascular dementia, I decided it was time to step back a bit because that clearly wasn’t helping what was wrong with me.” He added the decision made him “sad” but believes it was “the right thing to do”.
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Alastair said his boss “completely understood” his reasons for stepping back, but wanted to keep him a part of the show for whenever he wanted to return. He added: “GB News looked after me extremely well when I started to become ill and when we jointly decided it was time for me to step back.
“They couldn’t have been nicer nor could they have been kinder. I really value that and so does my family.” On how he was dealing with retirement, Alastair replied: “Not terribly well. I still watch [the show] day in and day out and I still listen to the radio and look at as many papers as I can.” He went on to say returning to the show would be as and when he was “fired up” about something he had seen or heard and wanted to make a contribution.
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GB News: Alastair Stewart announcing his dementia diagnosis
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Nigel then joked: “You’re not really retired are you?” Alastair replied: “I’m resting. I’m retired from doing a regular show like you and Jacob [Rees-Mogg] and the others.” Alastair went public with his dementia diagnosis on Camilla Tominey’s GB News back in September.
He shared: “The headline story, and it is relatively dramatic, I suppose, is that about six, nine months ago, I began to feel one of my favourite words: a bit discombobulated. I wasn’t becoming forgetful but things like doing up your shoelaces properly – that’s how I wear these lovely moccasins now – making sure your tie was straight, remembering that the call time for your programme is four o’clock and not five o’clock, not turning up early or late, and stuff like that.”
The broadcaster said after explaining his concerns to his GP, a scan revealed he had experienced a series of “minor strokes that are called infarct strokes”, but that he had “no idea” they were happening.
He went on to say that despite the condition affecting him, what he found the most difficult is the impact it had on his wife Sally, with whom he has four children. “We’ve been married for nearly half a century, and, you know, your life partner, your lover, all of those descriptions that are personal and intimate, that person is reduced – I choose my words very carefully – almost to a carer,” he continued. Alastair went on to urge people with similar symptoms to get checked out by their doctors if concerned.
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