Singer Tony Christie has revealed he has been diagnosed with dementia.
During an appearance on Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4, the singer, 79, told Steph McGovern he got the news last year.
Tony informed his wife Sue, 73, that he was struggling to remember people’s names and other information and she encouraged him to check.
He explained: ‘I said to my wife, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I’m starting to forget people’s names and things.’
Sad news: Singer Tony Christie has revealed he has been diagnosed with dementia
‘She said, ‘Let’s see a specialist.’ I had all the tests done and they said it’s early onset dementia.
‘They gave me these pills that slowed it down and it really slowed it down.’
Jokingly, Tony added, ‘I can’t remember her name right now’, pointing at Sue.
Explaining how he has adapted since receiving his diagnosis, he said: ‘I have to have a TV screen on stage with me with the lyrics.
Cheers: During an appearance on Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4, the singer, 79, told Steph McGovern she got the news last year (pictured in 2021)
He added: “I don’t use it very often, it’s just there to make me feel safe.”
Elsewhere in the chat, Steph asked what Tony is most looking forward to before he turns 80.
He said: ‘I’m looking forward to working. I love to work. My grandfather used to say: ‘you retire, you die’ and I just said I’m not going to die.
‘I’ll go on and on… I feel good. I can go on forever, that’s how I feel.’
He explained: ‘I said to my wife, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I’m starting to forget people’s names and things”
Tony added: ‘She said, ‘Let’s see a specialist.’ I’ve had all the tests done and they say it’s early onset dementia’
This comes after Tony revealed he was worried about developing dementia after noticing his memory was getting worse in 2019.
The (Is This The Way To) Amarillo star said that despite playing the same songs for 50 years, he now needs the lyrics in an autocue.
Although he is currently on tour in Germany, Tony has said he will be screened when he returns to the UK – although he prefers not to know if he has the condition.
Performer: The star of (Is This The Way To) Amarillo, pictured in 1973, revealed that he now has to have his lyrics autocue even though he’s been singing them for half a century
Tony told the Mirror: ‘For some years now I have noticed that my memory has been getting worse which is a serious concern especially as there is a history of dementia in my family.
“It got to the point where I have to have the lyrics for every song I play live written in autocue, and most of them I’ve been singing for half a century.”
However, the star tried to stay positive, adding: ‘If it’s bad news, I’m expecting jokes from people saying they’ve always suspected it, seeing as I clearly still don’t know my way around Amarillo 48 years after this song was released. strike first.’
Support: Tony’s wife Sue, 73, pictured together in 2005, had to help him recall details of their life together when he wrote his autobiography as he couldn’t remember
Tony also revealed that he had to write down the names of his bandmates to ensure he didn’t misrepresent them on stage.
And at a recent show in Germany, the I Did What I Did For Maria singer got the city he was in wrong, thinking he was in Hamburg when he was actually in Leipzig.
Tony explained that although he tried to make a joke of it, the moment was ‘not really a laughing matter for me’.
He also had trouble remembering things while writing his autobiography The Song Interpreter and had to turn to his wife of 51 years, Sue, for help.
Tony also revealed how he met his wife when she was in front of an audience while he was singing on stage in 1967.
Tony explained how he knew right away that he wanted to marry her, but his father wasn’t so convinced.
He said in his autobiography: ‘My father was a little worried that everything would go like a whirlwind. He said, “Tony, you don’t marry a girl just because she has great legs.”
‘Well, she still has great legs, but what I thought was, ‘Why are you looking at my girlfriend’s legs? ‘
Remember: As well as needing a little nudge to remember lyrics, Tony, pictured left in 1991 and right in 2005, also needs to write down the names of his bandmates in order to introduce them correctly
Although Tony’s hits included Las Vegas and I Did What I Did For Maria, Amarillo it was her first song to sell a million copies.
The catchy melody was a hit again when, in 2005, it was used by Peter Kay for a Comic Relief video.
Originally, Tony was to star in the number with Peter Kay, but his involvement was reduced until he was dropped from the filming schedule.
Only an angry phone call from his manager son, Sean, threatening to withhold permission to use the song, got him reinstated. . . for just 14 seconds of footage.
Star: Tony’s hits include Las Vegas and I Did What I Did For Maria, but the classic Amarillo was his first song to sell a million copies. Tony is pictured performing in 1967
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