Jackie Stewart forgetting names and shares dementia fears in heartbreaking chat

Sir Jackie Stewart has admitted he is “forgetting people’s names” as he opened up about dementia in a tear-jerking interview. The three-time F1 champion feels he could end up with the disease, accepting he had “all the makings of it”.

Stewart’s wife Lady Helen continues to battle the illness at home after receiving a diagnosis almost a decade ago. Stewart told The Telegraph: “You know, I could easily have it. I’ve got all the makings of it. I’m forgetting people’s names occasionally and I’m not as sharp as I was. If I have it, I have it. I’m still fully operational.

“I’m not suggesting that I do have it. But I probably will get it. Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK. For everyone born today, one of the three will die of dementia.” Stewart continues to keep active and remains a regular visitor to the F1 paddock through his work with Rolex.

However, health concerns are not far away from the 84-year-old, who suffered a mini-stroke six weeks ago. The incident happened as he attended the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein in Jordan.

Campaigning to find a cure for dementia has become one of Stewart’s biggest goals outside of racing. Lady Helen was told she had frontotemporal dementia at an assessment in 2014.

The check-up was booked in as Lady Helen suffered a strange car crash with no other traffic on the road. She now receives round-the-clock care from seven neuroscience nurses at their homes in Britain and Switzerland.

Sir Jackie has even kitted out his house with sensors to ensure her safety while walking around at night. Opening up on Lady Helen’s diagnosis, Stewart reveals the helplessness as doctors explained there was no cure.

Stewart explained: “The hardest part was being told that there was nothing we could do about it. I knew nothing about dementia before Helen was diagnosed. And when I asked them: ‘When can we get something done about it?’ and they said: ‘I’m sorry Jackie, we don’t have a cure for it.’ That was just devastating.”

The former Tyrell F1 star has since founded the Race Against Dementia charity which helps fund research towards finding a treatment. The group claims a new person will develop the illness every three seconds.