Suranne Jones has spoken about her mother’s experience with dementia and called on others to help fight the disease.
The star of Gentleman Jack and Doctor Foster lost her mother after a long period with the life-altering illness.
Jones warned that it does not only affect the elderly and has been moved by witnessing someone going through the same experiences as her late mother.
The actress appears in a film baking with Paul Hoskins, who was diagnosed with dementia in his fifties.
Jones’s own mother was diagnosed at roughly the same age as Mr Hoskins, who has reminded Jones of the disease’s impact and the importance of everyday tasks for those with dementia.
She said: “My mum was diagnosed at quite a young age, in her late fifties, and her dementia accelerated quite fast.
“Sometimes when you talk about dementia, people imagine it’s a term that only refers to old people.
“It’s important to highlight the experiences of people like Paul, who is only in his fifties and really sprightly.
“As my mum was a similar age when she was diagnosed, it was enlightening to meet someone who was going through a similar experience to hers, with such optimism and strength.”
The actress baked cakes inspired by the recipe of Mr Hoskins’s grandmother, and learned how much simple tasks can live in the memory of people with dementia.
She said: “Something as simple and lighthearted as cake can have so much meaning to someone.”
Jones is calling on others to bake cupcakes to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society, which is hoping to reach a target of £1.8 million in this year’s campaign.
Alzheimer’s Society chief executive Jeremy Hughes said: “Dementia isn’t going away – two fifths of us know someone with dementia and one million people will be living with it by 2021.
“By taking part in Cupcake Day, you will be helping Alzheimer’s Society find a cure for the future and help people live better today.”