Ruth Langsford was reduced to tears as she opened up about her father's battle with Alzheimer’s disease on Tuesday's Loose Women. The 57-year-old was overcome with emotion while her co-stars Coleen Nolan, Janet Street-Porter and Nadia Sawalha rallied around her. At the time the panel were discussing Engelbert Humperdinck's wife, who battled the same illness. "For me watching my father with Alzheimer's I was grieving and losing my dad," explained Ruth. "But you have to remember that my mum was losing the love of her life - the young man that she married and had kids with."
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Coleen said: "I know how you feel. It was the same with my mum. It's the cruellest disease." Wiping away her tears, Ruth added: "You do hope, I did think that's why we do so much for the Alzheimer's Society. I do believe they will find a cure eventually. People aren't dying from Alzheimer's, they are living with it. Sometimes I can talk about my dad but sometimes I can’t. It’s thinking about my mum." Following her emotional outburst, Ruth took to her social media pages to thank fans for their support. She said: "Love talking about my Dad but sometimes it just gets me....thanks for your lovely messages...much appreciated x @loosewomen @alzheimerssoc."
Ruth Langsford opened up about her father's struggle with dementia
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This is not the first time Ruth has been open about her father. Last year, the TV star discussed his battle with the illness, saying: "I remember my dad struggling - and he was a bright man - but he was suddenly with [money] would have his hand out and would say 'take what you want' because he was looking at blank coins in his head I suppose." She continued: "It's been this long, slow burn. For a lot of people it's very slow. He started doing odd things. 15 years ago people wouldn't have talked about this like this. There was still a bit of stigma. My dad was there in body, the shell of my dad, but he wasn’t there… and the hardest thing is when your loved one doesn’t remember you. That's so painful."