ITV's This Morning audience was left deeply emotional during a heartbreaking segment featuring a mother discussing the death of her son from a rare form of dementia at just 24 years old.
A Family's Devastating Diagnosis
Sam Yarham and her husband Alistair appeared on the daytime programme hosted by Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard on Wednesday, January 14. They shared the story of their son, Andre Yarham, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia at the age of 22 and sadly passed away on December 27, 2025.
Sam explained that before his diagnosis, Andre began showing alarming symptoms. He experienced significant memory lapses, underwent personality changes, and his speech became affected. After consultations with his GP, a series of tests, and an MRI scan, the family received the shattering news.
"That's when we got the news that he'd got frontal atrophy," Sam told the hosts. "The consultant said if he didn't know the scan he was looking at, he'd have thought it was like a 70-year-old that had got dementia." Alistair described the moment as a "total shock." The official diagnosis came in June 2024, just before Andre's 23rd birthday, by which time he had already lost much of his ability to speak.
Rapid and Heartbreaking Decline
The progression of Andre's condition was shockingly fast. He entered his first care home in September 2024, walking in slowly but independently. Within a single month, his mobility had deteriorated so severely that he required a wheelchair and had to be hoisted for care.
His parents recounted how his health took a final downturn at the start of December 2025, when he contracted an infection and was hospitalised for three weeks. Initially, they believed his refusal to eat or drink was due to the infection. However, they soon received what Sam called the "devastating news" that he had been placed on end-of-life care.
Viewers React with Overwhelming Sympathy
The raw and painful interview resonated powerfully with the show's viewers, many of whom took to social media platform X to express their grief and support.
One viewer wrote, "Oh this is just heartbreaking!!!" Another shared a personal connection, stating, "What a lovely family, how sad for them. I lost my mother to early onset Alzheimer's, but to lose your child. Heartbreaking. RIP."
Others were visibly moved, with one admitting they were a "Crying mess watching this family," adding, "Andre's parents obviously loved him so very much, it's all so sad. So young." A further comment highlighted the palpable grief, saying, "Those poor parents, their grief is so raw, what an awful disease."
Andre's case is among the youngest recorded deaths from dementia, highlighting the cruel and indiscriminate nature of the disease. This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.
