Coronation Street depicts young onset dementia
ITV’s Coronation Street has depicted young onset dementia in one of its characters, with Debbie Webster being diagnosed at 56-years-old with vascular dementia.
ITV have been working with Dementia UK on the storyline, and Dr Hilda Hayo, CEO and Chief Admiral Nurse at Dementia UK, says:
“We are pleased to be working alongside Coronation Street on this storyline, which we hope will help debunk the myth that dementia is a condition just associated with old age.
The production team has worked closely with our Consultant Admiral Nurse for Young Onset Dementia to deliver a sensitive depiction of what it’s like to live with the condition. We hope this will encourage people to start having more conversations about dementia and to reach out for support from our Admiral Nurses when they need it.”
You can find out more about this storyline from ITV here: https://www.itv.com/coronationstreet/articles/debbies-dementia
See the Coronation Street YouTube channel for episodes relating to this storyline: https://www.youtube.com/@coronationstreet/search?query=dementia
Complimenting the Coronation Street storyline, Alzheimer’s Society has teamed up with ITV to create a bespoke ad campaign. This has played during three episodes that aired in April (14th, 25th and 28th) and will be seen again on 20 June. You can find out more here: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/news/2025-04-15/alzheimers-society-partners-coronation-street-create-bespoke-ads-tribute-dementia