Dementia is often regarded as an embarrassing condition that should be hushed up and not spoken about. But I feel passionately that more needs to be done to raise awareness, which is why I became an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society.

You can't converse with Alzheimer's sufferers in the way you do with others; the dialogue tends to go round in circles.

People think I'm thick because of the characters I play. I think I'm brighter than the characters. Well, I hope I am.

Walking is my main method of relaxation. I don't go over my lines or try to solve the world's problems, I just enjoy the scenery and the wildlife.

I've been going to Bamburgh for holidays since I was a child.

My mum Mary was always a bright, confident and fiercely independent lady.

With something like cancer, there is a feeling that you can fight it in some way or control your response to it, but with dementia there is the fear of losing control of your mind and your life.