Jon Snow’s wife Dr Precious Lunga has spoken about how she and her husband experienced people “striking him off” after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The 51-year-old, who is married to the former Channel 4 News presenter, told Woman’s Hour: “We felt people were striking Jon off. We felt that certainly.”
She explained this reaction stemmed not from ill intent but from ignorance about dementia.
“It wasn’t really due to malice, but a lack of understanding and knowledge about what happens when you have dementia,” she said.
Jon Snow in 2005 | GETTY
Dr Lunga suggested that anxiety about potentially developing the condition themselves drives people’s responses.
“I think people are also fearful of Alzheimer’s because we fear we might get it ourselves, and with fear comes stigma,” she added.
Mr Snow, who is now 78, revealed earlier this month that he has been living with the condition since 2023.
His decision to document his experience in the Channel 4 film Jon Snow: A Last Big Story was driven by a sense of responsibility, according to his wife.
Jon Snow and wife Dr Precious Lunga in 2015
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“He said ‘if I don’t speak out who will?'” Dr Lunga explained.
The disease had personal resonance for the veteran broadcaster, having also affected his mother.
Dr Lunga said her husband believed that those receiving an Alzheimer’s diagnosis are too often dismissed entirely.
“He felt that when someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s they are written off, but it’s not like you fall off a cliff,” she said.
Jon Snow’s wife Dr Precious Lunga reflected on reactions to her husband’s diagnosis
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“It’s a gradual degradation of the brain. It doesn’t mean you still can’t contribute to the world and he felt he still had so much to give, which is why he decided to make this documentary.”
Following Mr Snow’s retirement from Channel 4 News in 2021, he experienced what Dr Lunga described as a “deep depression” lasting approximately six months.
As a neuroscientist, she began noticing changes in her husband as he emerged from this difficult period.
“As he was coming out of that, I noticed he was more forgetful and, as a neuroscientist, I thought something was going on,” she said.
When the diagnosis was confirmed, Dr Lunga’s reaction was immediate and emotional.
“It is a shock when you receive that information and it upended all our plans post-retirement for Jon, and we had to accept our lives were changing,” she said, adding that she “burst into tears” upon hearing the news.
The couple, who married in 2010 and have a son born in 2021, initially faced considerable confusion as they processed their new circumstances.
Despite initial reservations about participating in the documentary, Dr Lunga found strength in knowing she represents one of more than a million people in the UK affected by dementia.
“That helped me get over the nervousness of telling our story. It is not the end and we are looking for opportunities to enjoy our life,” she said.The couple have adopted a philosophy centred on flourishing rather than merely coping with the diagnosis.”It’s not just about surviving it’s about how we can live and thrive,” Dr Lunga explained, noting they now focus more on being present in each moment.”We tend to live in the moment more now too. He is now very present when he’s there. Finding that balance is a constant juggle though.”Jon Snow: A Last Big Story airs on Saturday at 8pm on Channel 4.