Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken candidly about his concerns regarding dementia, revealing that he worries about his own memory as he approaches his 84th birthday. The former Manchester United manager, who lost his wife Lady Cathy in October 2023, said the condition is 'at the back of my mind all the time' because his younger brother Martin is living with it.
In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Ferguson explained how travel, reading and crosswords have helped him cope with grief. 'After my wife passed, I was stuck in the house a lot,' he said. 'I moved house, into the country, next door to my son – but it's not good enough just to sit watching TV, so I decided to travel. I went to Saudi [Arabia], Hong Kong and Bahrain.'
Ferguson, who guided Manchester United to 13 Premier League titles, is an ambassador for the dementia charity Playlist for Life. He said he tries to phone his brother daily but acknowledged the challenges. 'He recognises me [but] the memory's not great. But he's not bad. He's not getting any worse, let's put it that way, which is very encouraging.'
The 83-year-old admitted he sometimes forgets things himself but said he keeps his mind active with crosswords, singing and reading about history, particularly the American Civil War. 'When you get to my age, you do have a little worry about whether your memory is going to stand up,' he added.
