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TV star Ruth Langsford , 65, has admitted she constantly feels "really frightened" about her health after her late father, Dennis Langsford, started showing "signs" of dementia when he was in his late sixties. In an exclusive interview, the star, who became a household name while hosting ITV's This Morning alongside her estranged husband Eamonn Holmes , explained that when she has a "complete and utter blank" and can't remember someone's name, she always fears the worst. Ruth's concerns quickly escalated when her mother, Joan Langsford, was also diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease . When asked about whether she worries about a potential genetic link, Ruth admitted: "All the time, literally all the time, if I ever have a senior moment where I go, ‘what’s her name again?’, somebody that I know quite well, and I have a complete and utter blank, it really frightens me. "I'm 65 now, my dad was officially diagnosed when he was 72. But looking back on it, we think he was displaying signs, we just didn't know what they were – but he was in his late 60s and I’m 65. "And so I do have those moments, and I just, I tell myself, 'no, no, it's just because you're busy, or mind’s busy'. You never know, and I don't want to know, actually." The Loose Women presenter went on to insist that she would refuse to take a test to find out if she's at risk of developing the condition, as there's no cure. Ruth explained: "They all say, ‘if there was a test, would you take it?’ I go, 'why? What’s the point unless there’s a cure?' "If I could take a test, and they said, 'if you take the test, we could stop it happening', 100% I would take the test, but they can’t, and I know what's ahead. "Of course I worry about it with both parents having had dementia, but I just think, what will be will be." The mum-of-one went on to say that she tries to do everything she can to boost her cognitive health as she gets older. Ruth shared: "I do crosswords and things like that. And I'm very active because I'm still very busy with work, they say that helps. So, yeah, I do worry." According to the Alzheimer's Society website , the majority of dementia is not inherited by children and grandchildren. In rarer types of dementia there might be a strong genetic link, but these are only a small proportion of overall cases. The website adds that in most cases, vascular dementia itself is not inherited. However, the underlying health issues that sometimes contribute to this condition, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, may potentially be passed on from one generation to another.
