The familiar dread of a forgotten date – a misplaced birthday, a missed appointment – took on a deeper, more personal significance for veteran broadcaster Alastair Stewart this week when he realised he had forgotten his wedding anniversary. For a man now living with a diagnosis of early-onset vascular dementia, such lapses are more than mere oversights; they are stark reminders of a condition that has reshaped his daily life.
A diagnosis and its daily reminders
Stewart, who publicly revealed his diagnosis in September 2023, has spoken of the subtle early signs that preceded it: a feeling of being “a bit discombobulated,” struggling with simple tasks like tying his shoelaces or his tie, and forgetting studio call times. His wife, Sally, noticed he could no longer read an analogue clock. The diagnosis followed a series of minor strokes which cumulatively damaged his cognitive function, leading to his retirement as a regular broadcaster from GB News in March 2023, though he continues to contribute occasionally.
In the face of this, the forgotten anniversary on the 8th was met with forgiveness. “Moonpig came to the rescue,” Stewart noted, with a card depicting him and his wife cutting their wedding cake with his late father’s RAF dress sword. The moment was a blend of modern convenience and cherished memory, a small victory in the daily management of his condition, which now includes lifestyle changes like quitting smoking, long dog walks, and puzzles to maintain mental acuity.
Family provided a joyful counterpoint later that same day. His son Alex, who had remembered the date, arrived with his wife Anna and their son Harry, Stewart’s third grandson. The toddler presented a donkey-themed card and later met real donkeys, a simple childhood triumph. The intergenerational visit was a poignant reminder of the family support Stewart has leaned on, having spoken openly about the impact of his diagnosis on his wife and children.
The personal was swiftly juxtaposed with the global. A FaceTime call from his daughter Clem in Saudi Arabia brought news that she was safe but acutely aware of regional dangers, having been impressed by Saudi air defences as reports of missiles circulated. Closer to home, a call from his heating oil supplier confirmed a price that had nearly doubled, a surge attributed by market analysts to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East affecting global oil supply. The UK government has since announced over £50 million in support for low-income families struggling with such costs.
Old threats in new waters
The geopolitical shifted from economic to strategic with news that broke the following morning. UK Defence Secretary John Healey revealed that three Russian submarines had been tracked conducting a month-long “covert operation” near critical undersea cables and pipelines in the North Atlantic, north of the UK. The UK deployed warships and aircraft to monitor the activity, which Mr Healey described as potential “malign activity,” though the Russian embassy in London denied any threat to infrastructure.
The report triggered a vivid childhood memory for Stewart, whose father served in the RAF. He recalled visits to RAF Kinloss, then home to Coastal Command’s Shackleton aircraft, which patrolled the North Sea watching for Soviet activity during the Cold War. “They were eventually replaced by Nimrods, based on the Comet, not quite such a triumph,” he reflected, drawing an implicit parallel between the vigilant past and the tense present.
A welcome distraction came with a lunch visit from Clive Jones, Stewart’s former TVS/ITV boss, who brought his son Harry, Stewart’s godson. Now a teaching assistant in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Harry, a former Buddhist monk, shared that he had been attending Quaker meetings, which brought him joy – a connection Stewart appreciated as Anna’s parents are also Quakers. Their conversation turned to faith broadly, with Stewart recalling deep discussions with an Orthodox Jewish friend and a Muslim guide during a charity trip to Chad. “In my own case,” he mused, “learning about the Reformation in a Catholic monastic school may have been a slight drawback.”
The lunch conversation, between media veterans, also turned to industry speculation. Clive Jones suggested the American-owned Sky might attempt to buy ITV’s broadcasting business, a potential £1.6 billion deal that would exclude ITV Studios but could pose difficulties for ITV News and attract regulatory scrutiny. They also touched on the cases of Prince Andrew and Peter Mandelson, agreeing recent reports suggesting the latter faced “serious difficulties” while the former might “escape.” Both have been investigated for misconduct in public office concerning their ties to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
As the week’s events settled – from a forgotten date to family joy, from undersea threats to old friends and discussions of faith – Stewart’s narrative returned to a central, quiet theme: the fragile machinery of memory. His condition casts a new light on every forgotten detail and every vividly recalled story from a long life, making each conversation, each connection, and each remembered face a thing of renewed value.