This Morning presenter Sian Welby has opened up in a deeply emotional update about her father’s battle with dementia — sharing that while he knows she has a baby, he no longer remembers her daughter’s name.
Sian, 37, welcomed her baby girl Ruby in June 2024 with partner Jake. But despite the joy of becoming a mum, she faces heartbreak as her beloved dad Ian, 84, continues his struggle with Alzheimer’s.
In a recent podcast chat with pop icon Lulu, Sian reflected on her dad’s fading memory. “My dad knows I have a baby,” she shared. “He doesn’t know her name – that doesn’t bother me – but he always remembers that I’ve got a baby.”
Sian, who is known for co-hosting This Morning, described the cruel nature of the illness: “You’re going to lose the person. They’re still physically there, but bit by bit, you lose who they are.”
She also opened up about the toll the disease has taken on Ian’s independence. “He couldn’t drive, cook, shop or fix the car. He lost his role as ‘dad’ because we had to do everything for him.”
Despite the tough road, Sian feels grateful that her dad’s condition has currently stabilised. He still has “good days and bad days,” but most importantly, he still knows who she is.
It hasn’t been an easy journey. Ian previously survived a harrowing battle with cancer, Covid, pneumonia in both lungs, and sepsis in 2022, dropping to just six and a half stone at his lowest.
Sian’s strength and honesty have struck a chord with fans, many of whom have praised her bravery in speaking so openly about one of the most painful realities of watching a loved one fade away.
