Dr Precious Lunga, wife of former Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow, has spoken of her anger at the stigma surrounding Alzheimer's disease after her husband's diagnosis. The 51-year-old epidemiologist appeared alongside Snow in the documentary Jon Snow: A Last Big Story, aired on Channel 4 on Saturday evening (June 20).
Diagnosis and Reaction
Snow, 78, revealed he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2023. In the documentary, he attended a medical consultation where doctors confirmed his condition was gradually deteriorating. Lunga said she noticed a recent shift in his health and disclosed details of the initial diagnosis.
“When we received a diagnosis, people were writing Jon off, and that's when I realised how stigmatised Alzheimer's is, and it made me so angry actually,” Lunga explained. “This is a progressive disease, but you can have Alzheimer's and still be a valuable member of society to contribute, if your loved ones are there to help you navigate it.”
Commitment to Care
Addressing the future, Lunga said: “I want to give him as good a life as I can.” Snow, who fronted Channel 4 News from 1989 to 2021, reflected on his diagnosis: “At the beginning I wanted to hide it, there's so much prejudice. Any sort of hint of mental decay, you're sort of dead. There are moments when it pops up, but it's not an all-day, every-day condition, and that's what I cling onto.”
Background and Family
Lunga, originally from Zimbabwe, left the country at age 17 to study in the UK. She earned a degree in neuroscience from the University of Edinburgh in 1998 and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Cambridge in 2003. The couple met in 2001 on the Caribbean island of Mustique and married in 2010. They had a child together through surrogacy in 2021. Snow also has two children from a previous marriage.
Jon Snow: A Last Big Story, produced in partnership with the Alzheimer's Society, is streaming now on Channel4.com.
