Former Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow diagnosed with Alzheimer’s

Jon Snow has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the Alzheimer’s Society has said. He will appear in a Channel 4 documentary about a mining disaster, Jon Snow: A Last Big Story, in which he discusses his diagnosis; the film will be broadcast at 8pm on 20 June.

On camera he says: “At the beginning I wanted to hide it, there’s so much prejudice. Any sort of hint of mental decay, you’re sort of dead. There are moments when it pops up but it’s not an all-day, every-day condition, and that’s what I cling on to.” Snow, 78, was the face of Channel 4 News for 32 years and became known for his colourful ties and socks.

While fronting the programme he covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, the release of Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama’s inauguration. Before joining Channel 4 he worked as a correspondent for ITN, reporting from Somalia and Vietnam and serving as its Washington correspondent during the middle of Ronald Reagan’s presidency.

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