The husband of Coronation Street legend Julie Goodyear has said he “misses” his wife, some nine months after she revealed she has been diagnosed with dementia.
The 81-year-old legend is renowned for her role as Bet Lynch on the cobbles, one of Weatherfield’s most popular figures. Bet was a series regular from 1970 to 1995.
Julie has been married to her husband Scott Brand since 2007. In an interview with the Mirror, Scott devastatingly said he is watching his wife “slowly fade away”.
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He added: “Julie has always been extremely glamorous, going nowhere without her makeup. But now the lipsticks and make-up go unworn, and clothes are no longer of interest, especially the leopard print.”
Now Julie relies on a wheelchair to be mobile and Scott, 55, said he longs for the days they spent enjoying romantic meals, holidays and walking hand in hand. He said: “One of the biggest things is our holidays. Julie loved going away and would always look forward to our adventures together, but this has now stopped.
He continued: “For me, the hardest part was accepting and coming to terms with the diagnosis. At the beginning I refused to accept any support, thinking I could cope as we have always been quite private people.
“This, in reality, didn’t last for long and I soon realised I needed to ask for help as I couldn’t do it by myself. I wasn’t coping and needed to seek support. Caring for Julie is my priority, but my health was being affected and as a lone carer I felt it was ‘killing me’.
“Julie had always dealt with the finances but now she cannot even recognise the value of money. I was suddenly thrown into having to sort out all the household affairs, something Julie had always managed with ease and perfection.
“It was like being thrown into a new world of having to do everything by myself. I would advise anyone going through this journey to accept help straight away.”
