The ‘(Is This the Way to) Amarillo’ hitmaker has decided to be open about his battle with dementia after originally keeping his diagnosis from public eye.
AceShowbiz –Tony Christie paid no heed to his dementia diagnosis at first. The 80-year-old singer announced in January he was living with the degenerative condition – which affects the ability to remember, think, and make decisions – but admitted he wasn’t interested in doctors’ opinions of why he was struggling with his usual crossword at first.
Tony, however, decided to go public with his diagnosis in order to tell a positive story of living with the disease. “I’ve always done the Times crossword but I became frustrated because it was getting harder,” he told Sunday Times magazine.
“I couldn’t remember things, so [my wife] Sue said I should get myself checked out. When the doctors first told me I just ignored them, but earlier this year I decided to speak out.”
“I wanted to prove dementia is not the end. I’m on tablets, which make me a bit sleepy but are helping. I also use an Autocue on stage now – I rarely need to look at the lyrics but I’m more relaxed knowing it’s there.”
The “(Is This the Way to) Amarillo” hitmaker is grateful for the steadfast support of his wife Sue. He said, “Sue is a grafter. She also really looks after me. That was especially true when I was diagnosed with dementia two years ago.”
“I was 80 in April and have embarked on a birthday celebration tour. As long as I can keep singing and Sue is around, then I’m happy. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever met; the nicest person you could wish to meet. Sue has had to put up with a lot over the past two years but she’s by my side as always.”
Meanwhile, Sue admitted she was worried her husband’s diagnosis would force him to end his career, but she thinks he’s performing better than ever. She said, “After Tony’s dementia diagnosis I wondered what he would do without singing, but he has just carried on as usual. In fact I don’t think I’ve seen him perform better than some of his recent shows.”
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