Line Of Duty star Vicky McClure has told of her personal experience of dementia as she signed up to help fight the condition.
The Replacement actress, 35, has become an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society, which she said was “right up there with” winning a Bafta.
McClure said “the fight against dementia is a cause that is really close to my heart” and that “raising awareness is so personal to me”.
She said too many people face the condition without support.
“Sadly, one person develops dementia every three minutes and it seems that almost everyone knows someone whose life has been affected,” McClure said.
Speaking about seeing her grandmother develop dementia, she said: “I know from personal experience just how confusing and upsetting a condition it can be and we need to unite and stand up to it together.”
Iris was living with Alzheimer’s until her death from the disease in 2015.
McClure said: “It’s great that dementia has been dragged out of the shadows and people are willing to talk about a condition that used to be a taboo subject.
“Yet too many people face the condition alone, without adequate support, and that is something I want to help Alzheimer’s Society put right.
“Everyone has a part to play in creating a dementia-friendly UK.”
Her comments come after it was revealed that Dame Barbara Windsor, 80, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014.
McClure called on “everybody to take part” in Dementia Action Week, which runs until Sunday.
“Whether it be engaging in dialogue with someone to learn more about the condition or just keeping an eye out for anyone who may be struggling and offering to help,” McClure said, “the more we engage with those who live with this condition the more we can learn from them and help them remain in their communities rather than live in isolation away from society.”
The actress is also working on a BBC1 documentary, My Dementia Choir, which will examine the importance of music to people with dementia.