Charlotte Minter
Published June 5, 2026 5:48pm
Updated June 5, 2026 8:39pm
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Jon Snow retired from Channel 4 in 2021 and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2023 (Picture: PA/Channel 4 News)
Channel 4 News veteran Jon Snow has revealed he has been living with Alzheimer’s disease for four years.
The former anchor, 78, hosted the programme from 1989 – 2021, making him the channel’s longest-serving newsreader.
Ahead of an upcoming Channel 4 documentary in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Society, the retired journalist announced his diagnosis.
In the film, Jon 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.’
Revealing the news to the Daily Mail, his wife, Precious Lunga, whom he married in 2010, said: ‘I work in the health field, so I knew the statistics, but he was very active, he cycled everywhere and exercised, barely drank, was a healthy eater, and all these factors protect you against dementia.’
The Channel 4 News veteran presented on the show for over 30 years (Picture: Mark Makela/Corbis via Getty Images)
Jon married Dr Precious Lunga in 2010 (Picture: Danny Martindale/WireImage)
She went on: ‘When Jon is tired, he gets less coherent, so our son will say, “Dada, you need to rest”.’
The couple had a baby via surrogacy in 2021.
She revealed: ‘Friends kept asking me if Jon was all right and I would have to lie and say he’s fine, but I knew he wasn’t.’
Speaking to the publication, Jon admitted: ‘I mean, sometimes I doubt whether I’ve really got it. I don’t know if it’s widespread knowledge.’
When reminded of his increasing forgetfulness, he responded: ‘That’s normal at the age of 79, isn’t it?’
In the aftermath of the news breaking, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised Jon, writing on X: ‘A true giant in journalism, Jon Snow has spent his life asking difficult questions and telling important stories.
Jon’s wife said that without the newsroom, he sank into a depression (Picture: Channel 4 News)
Jon admitted of his condition: ‘I mean, sometimes I doubt whether I’ve really got it’ (Picture: Derek Hudson/Getty Images)
‘Now, in sharing his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, he is helping others feel less alone and raising awareness of a condition that affects so many families.’
Throughout his long career, Jon interviewed figures such as Nelson Mandela, Sir David Attenborough, and Kit Harrington, whose Game of Thrones character famously possessed the same name.
Cathy Newman, who recently left Channel 4 for Sky News, posted some touching words for him as he marked his final story: ‘Jon you are and always have been a legend. Your decision to share your last big story will do so much to help people afflicted with Alzheimer’s.
More information about Alzheimer's disease
More information about Alzheimer's disease and dementia can be found at the Alzheimer's Society website: alzheimers.org.uk.
You can contact their support line on 0333 150 3456.
‘Sending you and your family love and sharing this picture of the last ever @Channel4News I presented with you in December 2021.’
Editor of the news programme, Esme Wren, also wrote: ‘Jon Snow played a huge part in shaping and defining @Channel4News over many decades and leaves a huge legacy in our newsroom. It is no surprise he is now using his voice to raise awareness for the Alzheimer’s Society, an illness he has spoken so powerfully about today.’
The documentary, titled Jon Snow: A Last Big Story, follows the former news anchor as he navigates life with dementia. It will be available to watch from 8pm on Saturday, June 20.
The former anchor was known for wearing colourful ties while presenting (Picture: Jo Hale/Redferns via Getty Images)
Channel 4’s Head of News, Current Affairs, Specialist Factual, and Sport, Louisa Compton, remarked that Jon is ‘not just one of Channel 4’s most recognisable faces – he is part of our very fabric and is dearly loved by viewers around the UK’.
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‘It is a profound privilege that we are able to document his last big investigation in a sensitively made film that frames Jon’s current affairs nous alongside a new life lived with Alzheimer’s. We hope this film will go a long way to raise awareness of how to live while facing a life-changing diagnosis.’
He hopes to raise awareness of dementia, which is the country’s biggest killer.
The condition affects around a million people in the UK.
Stream or watch Jon Snow: A Last Big Story at 8pm on Saturday, June 20, on Channel 4.
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