Paul Gambaccini, the veteran BBC Radio 2 and Greatest Hits Radio presenter, has revealed that he received an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis earlier in 2025.
The 77-year-old broadcaster, affectionately known as “The Great Gambo” and “The Professor of Pop”, announced the news on Friday whilst confirming his intention to remain on air.
Invoking the words of Queen’s late frontman, Mr Gambaccini stated: “As Freddie Mercury once sang, you can’t turn back the clock, you can’t turn back the tide. Ain’t that a shame.”
He acknowledged the gravity of his condition but expressed resolve to carry on with his work.
Paul Gambaccini has been part of the BBC since 1973
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“There’s no denying it’s a serious condition with an uncertain future, but for now life goes on as normal,” he said, adding that he wished “to be given the space to keep on broadcasting the music I love to the listeners I love even more.”
BBC Radio 2 controller Helen Thomas offered warm words of encouragement following the announcement.
“On behalf of everyone at Radio 2 as well as all of his listeners, we send our love and best wishes to Paul, and continue to support him with his beautifully crafted weekly music show on Sunday evenings,” she said.
Andy Ashton, content director at Greatest Hits Radio, commended the presenter for his courage in going public with the diagnosis.
The star is known as ‘The Professor of Pop’
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BBC
“We know our audience will wholeheartedly share his own desire to keep on broadcasting the music he loves to the listeners he loves even more,” Mr Ashton remarked.
Mr Gambaccini hosts The Paul Gambaccini Collection on Radio 2 from 8pm to 10pm each Sunday, alongside his programmes on Greatest Hits Radio.
The Terrence Higgins Trust, where Mr Gambaccini has served as patron for more than three decades, expressed its support for the broadcaster and his husband, Christopher Sherwood.
Richard Angell, the charity’s chief executive, paid tribute to Mr Gambaccini’s longstanding commitment to HIV awareness.
After announcing the news he vowed to try and stay on his show for as long as he could
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BBC
“Paul has been with Terrence Higgins Trust and those affected by HIV every step of the way – from the devastation of the 1980s right through today, as we target the end of new HIV cases in the UK by 2030,” Mr Angell said.
He added that Mr Gambaccini had made “a huge personal impact in improving public perceptions of HIV over the last 30 years” and expressed confidence the presenter would achieve similar results in raising awareness about Alzheimer’s through his Sunday evening broadcasts.
Michelle Dyson, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said the broadcaster’s story demonstrated that receiving a dementia diagnosis need not signal the end of an active life.
“Receiving a dementia diagnosis can be frightening, but it can also open the door to receiving treatment and support,” Ms Dyson said, expressing hope that Mr Gambaccini’s openness would prompt others experiencing symptoms to seek assistance.
Many have been floored by the news from Mr Gambaccini
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The charity has been providing support to Mr Gambaccini and Mr Sherwood since the diagnosis.
Born in New York, Mr Gambaccini came to Britain to study at Oxford before establishing himself as one of the country’s most distinctive broadcasting voices.
He joined BBC Radio 1 in 1973 and has since presented programmes across Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4, earning induction into the Radio Academy Hall of Fame in 2005.
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