The husband of Julie Goodyear has opened up about the star’s dementia battle, heartbreakingly admitting she’s “slowly fading away”.
Her husband Scott Brand announced former Coronation Street actress Julie’s dementia diagnosis in June last year.
Now, Scott has said it’s “painful to watch” the “deterioration” of Julie – best known for playing Bet Lynch (later Gilroy) in Corrie.
Julie Goodyear husband
Speaking to the Mirror, Scott admitted: “I miss the fun-loving wife that Julie had always been – the larger-than-life personality that brightened up everywhere she went, and the smile that lit up every room. All of this is now slowly fading away and it’s extremely painful for me to watch this deterioration. Julie now struggles recognising people and everyone she meets is called ‘Scott’.”
He added: “Julie has always been extremely glamorous, going nowhere without her makeup. But now the lipsticks and make-up go unworn, and clothes are no longer of interest, especially the leopard print.”
Scott said that Julie, 81, now relies on a wheelchair to be mobile. He said he misses their holidays as Julie “loved going away and would look forward to our adventures together”.
However, he said that has now stopped. Scott insisted he would “never leave Julie” to go away either.
Scott went on to explain some of the measures they’ve put in place for the sake of Julie’s health. He said “alcohol is off limits” as he’s aware that if there was an emergency, he’d need to drive.
Scott admitted that at the start of Julie’s diagnosis, he “refused to accept any support” as he thought he could cope.
He said: “Caring for Julie is my priority, but my health was being affected and as a lone carer I felt it was ‘killing me’. It was like being thrown into a new world of having to do everything by myself. I would advise anyone going through this journey to accept help straight away.”
Julie Goodyear now
Now, Julie and Scott have thrown their support behind a TV advert launched by the Alzheimer’s Society. The charity provided Scott with a Dementia Advisor to ease the burden on him.
Scott admitted he “couldn’t have managed” without the support. He said the advisor has “encouraged me to get our affairs in order and put plans in place for the future”.
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