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Popular TV host diagnosed with same condition as Bruce Willis

Popular American TV host Wendy Williams has shared her diagnosis after being plagued by "hurtful rumours". The 59-year-old's medical team announced in a lengthy statement that she has been diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia: the same conditions actor Bruce Willis is battling. The news comes after Williams' family confirmed she had checked in to a facility to treat cognitive issues. “Questions have been raised at times about Wendy’s ability to process information and many have speculated about Wendy’s condition, particularly when she began to lose words, act erratically at times, and have difficulty understanding financial transactions,” her medical team said. They said Williams' symptoms first began in 2023, and was diagnosed with the neurological conditions just weeks later after undergoing a series of tests. Her team said both conditions have “already presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life”. “Wendy would not have received confirmation of these diagnoses were it not for the diligence of her current care team, who she chose, and the extraordinary work of the specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine,” they said. “Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires.” Williams chose to share the news to “advocate for understanding” and to “raise awareness” for the difficult conditions. “Unfortunately, many individuals diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia face stigma and misunderstanding, particularly when they begin to exhibit behavioural changes but have not yet received a diagnosis,” her team said. “There is hope that with early detection and far more empathy, the stigma associated with dementia will be eliminated, and those affected will receive the understanding, support, and care they deserve and need." “Wendy is still able to do many things for herself. Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humour and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed." “She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way.” The TV presenter has previously been open with her medical battle with Graves’ disease and lymphedema, as well as other significant challenges related to her health. Image credits: Getty Images

Caring

"What a life I’ve had": Author announces own death after years of battling dementia

Wendy Mitchell has died aged 68 after documenting her brave battle with dementia. The author from Walkington, East Yorkshire, became the best-selling writer after she was diagnosed with early onset vascular dementia and Alzheimer's in July 2014. She shared her philosophical outlook on living with the condition in her acclaimed 2018 memoir Somebody I Used To Know and in her 2022 book What I Wish I Knew About Dementia. In an <a href="https://whichmeamitoday.wordpress.com/2024/02/22/my-final-hug-in-a-mug/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open letter</a> shared online, the author announced her death and revealed that she had refused to eat or drink towards the end of her battle. "If you’re reading this, it means this has probably been posted by my daughters as I’ve sadly died," she began. "Sorry to break the news to you this way, but if I hadn’t, my inbox would eventually have been full of emails asking if I’m OK, which would have been hard for my daughters to answer… "In the end I died simply by deciding not to eat or drink any more," she wrote. She added that the last cup of tea she had, her "final hug in a mug" was "the hardest thing to let go of". "Dementia is a cruel disease that plays tricks on your very existence. I’ve always been a glass half full person, trying to turn the negatives of life around and creating positives, because that’s how I cope." Mitchell said that the language used by doctors can "make or break" how someone copes with dementia, and instead of saying there's "nothing they can do" it is better to tell them they will have to "adapt to a new way of living". "Well I suppose dementia was the ultimate challenge. Yes, dementia is a bummer, but oh what a life I’ve had playing games with this adversary of mine to try and stay one step ahead," she wrote in her final blog post. She also said that she had always been resilient, which has helped her cope with whatever life throws in her way. Mitchell has been an advocate for assisted dying in the UK, and said that "the only legal choice we shouldn’t have in life is when to be born; for everything else, we, as humans, should have a choice; a choice of how we live and a choice of how we die." She added that the way she died was an active choice as she doesn't want "to be an inpatient in a hospital, or a resident in a Care Home," as "it’s just not the place I want to end my years." "My girls have always been the two most important people in my life. I didn’t take this decision lightly, without countless conversations. They were the hardest conversations I’ve ever had to put them through. "This was all MY CHOICE, my decision. So please respect my daughters' privacy, as they didn’t choose the life I chose, of standing up to and speaking out against dementia." She then thanked everyone for their support and left with a touching final message. "So, enjoy this knowing that dementia didn’t play the winning card – I did." Images: Daily Mail

Caring

"I still can't fathom it": Wendy Harmer names and shames inappropriate guest

Wendy Harmer has named and shamed the high-profile comedian who would regularly expose his genitals to her during an ongoing radio prank. Recalling the X-rated moments in her new memoir Lies My Mirror Told Me, the 68-year-old broadcasting veteran revealed that her former 2Day FM co-host, comedian Jamie Dunn would consistently expose himself as a joke. Harmer recalled how she never found the joke amusing nor sexual in nature, writing, "I suspect Jamie was a bit of a naturist." "I still can't fathom why he would do it as a gag on radio," she said, later confirming that she saw Dunn's penis "more times" than she "cared to remember". Harmer recalled the "joke" in detail, while her former co-host, Paul Holmes, also shared his experience in the memoir, saying he never understood the reasoning behind the bizarre prank. Holmes wrote, "He'd drop his dacks, exposing his penis, raise his hands in the air and strike a pose." When approached by the Sydney Morning Herald for comment, Dunn, who was best known for voicing and operating the children's puppet Agro, admitted to exposing himself "once or twice" as a "harmless joke". In her memoir, Harmer went on to detail the early days of her career in the male-dominated media industry, and shared how she very quickly learned to stand up for herself. “I was a kid, I soon developed a more assertive attitude ... Many men I have worked with have said I’m a bit scary, they’re usually the ones who got second billing,” Harmer told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Certainly, I would not like my daughter to have gone through some of the things I went through in the workplace.” Image credits: Getty Images

Books

"Obnoxious": Wendy Harmer names and shames worst ever guest

Wendy Harmer has named and shamed the celebrity that left her feeling "very unimpressed" during a combative interview. The former 2DayFM and ABC Radio Sydney host has interviewed famous faces from all over the world during her decades-long career, but one US celebrity apparently treated her "like trash" when they met. Spilling her secrets on on the latest episode of The Matty Johns Podcast, Harmer admitted that late megastar Meatloaf was the "biggest a**hole" she came across. “Oh my god, what an obnoxious person he was,” she told him. “He came in to co-host the show one day on 2DayFM. He just treated me like trash, talked over the top of me, didn’t look at me … I just found him incredibly rude." “I was very unimpressed with Meatloaf.” Harmer also shared a funny anecdote about meeting and interviewing Jennifer Lopez while she was in Australia for a press junket. Harmer described how they spoke with her make-up artist first, who was gushing over her “fabulous” boss, telling them, “You know, she has a real natural look to her make-up, we don’t have to do too much because she’s such a natural beauty.” But once Lopez came out for the interview to commence, Harmer said there was a moment where the make-up artist sort of “slapped her face”. "And poof, a whole cloud of white powder... She looked like a skunk with two raisins for eyes, I swear to God,” the broadcaster joked. “It was like her facial features had been taken away and put in the witness protection program.” Image credits: Getty Images

Music

Body of missing Gold Coast mum found

The search for Gold Coast mum Wendy Sleeman has drawn to a devastating close after her body was found in a car boot. The 61-year-old had been missing since Tuesday, after she vanished just moments after calling police from her home to report a break-in. Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith told reporters on Thursday night that a body was found in the blue Honda Jazz police had been searching for in a garage at a unit block in the inner-northern Brisbane suburb of Windsor. “It would appear that we’ve located the body of Wendy Sleeman,” Superintendent Smith said. “Whilst it’s yet to be formally identified, it certainly appears to be her.” Wendy's son, Slade Murdok, 30, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon in connection with her death. He was remanded in custody after appearing in court in Brisbane on charges of unlawful stalking, burglary, assault occasioning bodily harm, kidnapping, attempted arson and unlawful use of a motor vehicle. The frantic search for Wendy began after police attended her home following her phone call to find pools of blood. She called police after noticing signs of forced entry, saying to police on the phone, “It doesn’t look like there’s anyone here”. But 30 minutes later when police arrived on the scene, the 61-year-old was nowhere to be found. “It’s a very sad time for the family. Obviously they’ve been advised. On the other side I suppose it gives them some closure as to where she is,” Superintendent Smith said. “It’s a tragic scene, a tragic circumstance.” Image credits: Facebook

News

“This house is my special place”: Wendy Whiteley promises $100 million gift to NSW

Wendy Whiteley has made an “extraordinary” cultural gift to NSW, promising to sell her Lavender Bay home and bequeath her collection of her late husband Brett Whiteley’s artworks to the Art Gallery of NSW. The collection is worth more than $100 million and will be among the largest single donations the gallery has received in its 151-year history according to director Michael Brand. “This gift is yet another example of what an outstanding citizen of our harbour city Wendy Whiteley is, and why she continues to be so admired and revered,” Brand <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/media-office/whiteley-bequest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. Almost 2000 artworks spanning Whiteley’s career will be left jointly to the gallery and the Brett Whitely Foundation. As for Wendy’s home, which has lived in since 1969, it will not be preserved in public ownership. The 81-year-old has instead instructed that it be sold upon her death, with the proceeds going into a trust to secure the future of the collection and the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills. “It doesn’t amke any sense to turn [the house] into another museum,” Wendy told <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/this-house-needs-a-family-again-wendy-whiteley-s-extraordinary-100-million-gift-to-nsw-20220615-p5atzy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sydney Morning Herald</a>. “It would be almost impossible to run it as a museum, having knowledge of what it costs to do this kind of thing. This house needs a family again. It would be lovely to think of a creative family but it would be enough if they loved it, and lived in it. She told the publication that she hopes its future owners would “keep an eye on the garden” and hassle “whoever’s in charge” if it starts to fall into disrepair. “I imagine I’m going to be here until, you know, they take me out in a coffin. Long ago I gave up taking anything for granted, like health or longevity,” she said. “The house is my special place, along with the garden and the studio. All have expanded my opportunity to lead a creative life. That’s what I’d like for others through this bequest.” The Wendy and Arkie Whiteley Bequest takes inspiration from the couple’s daughter, Arkie, who died just nine years after her father from cancer at the age of 37. After Arkie’s passing in 2001, Wendy became the sole custodian of the collection and solely responsible for maintaining her husband’s legacy. “Certainly this is Brett’s legacy, but it is also mine and my daughter’s because we made it happen,” Wendy said. The couple’s home in Lavender Bay features some of Brett’s major works, including Archibald Prize-winning Self portrait in the studio 1976, his Sir John Prize-winning Interior with time past 1976, and The jacaranda tree (on Sydney Harbour) 1977. Its significance was recognised in 2018 when it, along with the setting and former studio, were state heritage listed. Image: Art Gallery of NSW

Real Estate

I rode 200km on my bike for charity

Wendy Gordon, 61, pushed herself to the limit to ride 200km for the inaugural “Ride to Conquer Cancer" charity fundraiser to raise money for the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. "You can't be serious!" "Impossible!" "I don't believe it!" These were the reactions of my family. My husband said nothing. Too shocked. I knew it sounded ridiculous. But I had already confided in one other. He said, "Of course you can! You will do it! How much time do you have?" "Eight months" I replied. And so it began …. The next week I turned up at my indoor bike training class with one goal, and this one person who believed in me, my trainer: I would ride in the inaugural "Ride to Conquer Cancer", a bike ride event over one weekend. Two hundred kilometres. I would raise money to help bring into being the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, a centre for excellence in research and treatment for cancer sufferers. Yes, I had just turned 61. No, I didn't have a bike. No, I had not ridden a bike since I was twelve. Never had a bike with gears, never had cleats. My training began, hour long sessions, twice a week, then three times a week. Then two hour sessions. Four hours on Saturday and Sunday afternoons as well. Cross training, resistance training to simulate hills, training in pedalling techniques, learning to use different muscle groups to avoid fatigue, speed training, planning nutrition and hydration, monitoring heart rate, learning the warm-up and cool down exercises, pacing myself, avoiding cramps. Who knew there was so much to it? I had thought it would be just to get on a bike and keep going. Guidance to buy a bike. Courage to start riding outside …specialist bike paths, around the lakes, along the river, then the road. Twenty kilometre rides in heat, with wind. Building up to eighty kilometres at a time, ninety kilometres. Learning how and when to change gears, adapting to cleats, leaning into curves, body position …. Inevitable tumbles, some bad falls. Impossible hills. Heart lurching as I was attacked time and again by swooping magpies in spring, snapping at my helmet, sounding like a cracking whip! Many adventures, new friends. But lots of blood, sweat and tears. In native bushland, on a bike path, swerving around a bend, I see a bride spreading out her gown – with her photographer …. No time to stop, so a successful swerve into the bush and out again. Same for a family of ducklings. Again for the young lovers listening to their music, the old couple …. Why on a bike path?! Ah, but the small child … running straight into the bike path! Another swerve, but it did not feel right. Something was wrong. This was not just long grass alongside the bike path! I was sinking, sinking into a canal of murky water, cleats still attached to bike. I struggled to keep my head up, grabbed some reeds. How to unclip cleats, and free myself from the bike...? Finally I emerged, a horrifying sight of green slime trailing from my helmet, my face, my clothes, my bike – streamers announcing to all the folly of my undertaking. The child looked at me in terror. Flinging off as much slime as I could, embarrassed beyond words, praying my bike, gears, brakes - everything – would still work, I hastened from the scene, praying also that my remote car lock and my mobile phone would survive their dunking, praying that I would not meet anyone I knew. All was well. A hurried change of bike clothes in the car (yes, at my age!) and a grim determination to finish my training plan for the day kept me at it. "Think of your reason for doing it!" I told myself. The months passed, and as the day approached I confided in my trainer: "Do you know they have cars come along to pick up any who can't finish? I don't want to be in the 'sweep-up'! And I don't want to be last!" He promised: "You won't be swept up, and you won't be last!" As the day approached I started to pray that I would be sick, unable to compete, that something would happen so that I could withdraw honourably. I became terrified. Two hundred kilometres for a novice was ridiculous! The day before the event we had to take our bikes to the starting park, and lock them in for an early start. The weather was horrendous. Biting wind, gale force at times, sheets of rain, all buffeting the car as I drove down, black ice in the nearby hills. I will never finish the event, I thought glumly. But surely they will cancel if the weather is bad? This might be my answer! <img width="500" height="375" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7265793/intext-image_500x375.jpg" alt="Intext Image"/> The next day dawned, calm and still, perfect weather for riding. As we gathered, all 1600 of us, I noted that they were mostly very athletic looking young people, with a smattering of older ones who looked as though they had been riding all their lives. Fear gripped me. But we were riding for those who had cancer, the most difficult journey of all. I could do it. And I would. We were away. I followed my training, pacing myself, recalling with clarity my trainer's instructions, and everything came together. I reminded myself of my reason for riding. The cancer journey is harder. Keep going. On hills I overtook the younger riders, those who had not trained as much ("just jump on a bike and keep going"). Down hills I flew, setting new speed records for myself! It was exhilarating, amazing. The kilometres flew past. I finished the Saturday's 105 kilometre ride by lunch – and was in the first third of the field. Would the Sunday ride be more difficult? No, I had prepared well, trained to reach my peak on this weekend. I finished by lunch again, also in the first third of riders. Reaching the finish line to the cheers of the spectators was very moving, the climax to the most difficult thing I have ever done, and the most satisfying and fulfilling. This was my personal "Amazing Ride"! I did not know it then, but my sister-in-law would be one of the first to be treated at the newly built Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, which made my amazing ride worth every ache and pain, every difficulty, and all the blood, sweat and tears. My ride was my gift to her and to all who are on the hardest journey of all.

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Popular TV host diagnosed with same condition as Bruce Willis

"What a life I’ve had": Author announces own death after years of battling dementia

"I still can't fathom it": Wendy Harmer names and shames inappropriate guest