Game of Thrones star Jonathan Pryce opened up about his aunt’s devastating dementia on Good Morning Britain today.
Viewers branded the actor a “national treasure” for his candid interview. in which the 74-year-old actor shared his heartbreak at his aunt's battle.
Jonathan told hosts Ben Shepard and Kate Garraway: “If you’re doing things that are unnatural, like putting your keys in the fridge, or forgetting your phone number – usually it is a sign that something is happening.”
When Ben then asked about his own experiences of seeing a relative suffer from dementia, he continued: "I don’t want to make too big a thing out of my auntie, but if anything she had dementia like she was in her mid 90s.
He added: "There was still the same person there, she was still as nice to everybody. I remember an instance where she was being assessed by a young doctor and he said, ‘Do you know who I am?’ And she replied, ‘Well if you don’t I’m sure I don’t.’
"And she knew she knew me, she couldn’t quite place me. She’d get confused."
Ben said: “She described her nephew that was an actor to you though – she was describing you to yourself?”
Jonathan replied: “She was very proud to tell people in my presence that she had a nephew called Jonathon Pryce that was an actor – yep.”
Ben said: “That must be so difficult because of course you want to encourage the communication, but knowing there is a slipping of her consciousness of going on around her, must be very hard as a family member to watch.
“Yeah,” Jonathan said. “Well I think that’s what’s good about this push to get people diagnosed. Because not only does it make all kinds of things available to the kind of person who’s living with dementia… but it’s also very important for the people they live with, their friends – that they know how to approach it. “
Viewers were incredibly moved by his story, and took to Twitter to pass on their condolences or share stories of their own.
One said: “Jonathan Pryce is an absolute national treasure. #goodmorningbritain.”
Another called him “one of the nicest men I have ever met” and a third said: "Thanks so much Sir Jonathan Pryce for your wonderful support of @alzheimerssoc."
Welsh actor Jonathan won over legions of fans in the fifth and sixth seasons of Game of Thrones, when he played the High Sparrow.
Jonathon previously opened up about his father’s mental health issues, telling theTelegraph: “I remember trying to teach him to write again, but he found it impossible.
"We would go out for walks, me holding his hand, and he would constantly pull away wanting to go up to people.
“The most upsetting thing about that was seeing how other people reacted to him – as if he was some kind of strange monster roaming the streets and not in control.”
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