Both of my parents died with dementia, so I’m all too aware of the issues that face families affected by this cruel disease. Staggeringly, as many as one in three of us over the age of 65 will develop dementia yet no statistic can ever really illustrate the pain we all experience when it strikes. Both the person with dementia and loved ones around them are aware of the stigma attached to the condition and the temptation to bury your head in the sand and hope the problem goes away.

My mum was only in her late 50s when she started behaving oddly. She was unable to count money, repeated things, cried a lot, missed appointments and got lost occasionally. I hadn’t realised that these behaviours were in fact symptoms of dementia and to my shame, I sometimes got irritated rather than showed sympathy. Perhaps worse, not even her GP recognised her symptoms when she raised concerns. I put this oversight down to a lack of awareness of the condition and the misconception that dementia only affects older people.

Dementia is more in the spotlight nowadays and there are more services available but unfortunately there can still be a real reluctance to seek help. This needs to change which is why I’ve put my heart and soul behind sharing my experiences in a bid to raise awareness of the condition. Most recently I sang along to the classic A Little Help With My Friends in a TV advertisement calling for us all to become Dementia Friends. While not a natural singer, I sang from the bottom of my heart in that advert, remembering the journey my parents and I had had.

Awareness brings us all a step closer to knowing what to do when facing dementia. It’s so important to seek help when you need it, as the sooner you know what you are dealing with, the sooner you can feel in control again and get on with your life.

Finding out that my dad, who was in his mid 60s, also had the condition was a cruel coincidence that came to dominate my family’s life. I visited him one day to find that he had been sleeping on a dirty old mattress in the living room, things were piled high in the kitchen and he’d stuck notes around the house as he realised he was struggling to remember. At the horrifying sight I simply hugged him and saw relief in his eyes. I remember saying: "Don’t worry dad, I’ll get you out of here".

So much of my attention had been on my Mum that Dad acting out of sorts went a little under the radar. I was balancing life in London as a television broadcaster for GMTV with being a mother as well as being an impromptu carer. I found it difficult to cope but felt relief when I opened up to Alzheimer’s Society’s National Dementia Helpline who provided - and continue to provide - a lifeline to families like mine.