Ed Balls made a heartwarming admission about his mother's dementia battle during Tuesday's episode of Good Morning Britain (July 21). The ITV presenter was moved by an interview with Gary, a man diagnosed with dementia five years ago, whose wife Natasha described how music helps him.
Viral TikTok Clip Sparks Emotional Moment
Gary's story went viral on TikTok, with a video of him singing along to Take That at a concert amassing over two million views. On the show, as music played, Gary began singing again to the song "Rule the World." Susanna Reid and Ed Balls noted his reaction.
Ed replied: "My own mum has dementia, when she sings it comes back. Also, she comes alive and wants everyone to join in and is always like, 'come on, come on'. Exactly like that, you [Gary] were telling us come sing with us."
Ed Balls' Mother's Dementia Journey
Ed has openly discussed his mother Carolyn's diagnosis over the years. She has been living in a specialist care home for several years. Her condition inspired Ed's 2021 BBC Two documentary "Inside the Care Crisis with Ed Balls," where he immersed himself in the life of a care worker.
In a past interview with The Standard, Ed confessed the family felt guilty about sending his mother to a home. He said: "Sending her to a home felt like a last resort. She got into the habit of leaving home and walking miles to go back to where she grew up, thinking she would find her parents, who died years ago."
The Difficult Decision
Ed recalled a critical moment in 2018 when his mother was found wandering the streets of Norwich. He was in an airport lounge in Singapore, his brother in California, and his sister in Nottingham. "We had to make a plan because my dad could no longer cope," he said.
"We had spent more than 10 years trying to avoid feeling like we got to that point and felt guilty that we had to make the decision but actually once we had decided that she should go to a home we felt guilty that we didn't do it earlier. For my mum and dad there was so much stress before she went in."
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV from 6am.
