Entertainment
US TV host, 60, ‘permanently incapacitated’ after dementia diagnosis-Asyia Iftikhar-Entertainment – Metro
It comes months after her diagnosis was made public.
There has been a concerning health update for Wendy Williams (Picture: Rex)
TV personality Wendy Williams is now ‘permanently incapacitated’ just months after her diagnosis with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia was made public.
New court documents, obtained by the US Sun, share the extent of the 60-year-old entertainer’s health deterioration as told by her legal team and guardian Sabrina Morrissey.
The filing called Williams ‘an acclaimed entertainer who, tragically, has been afflicted by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.’
The documents added that after a ‘pattern of disturbing events concerning [Wendy’s] welfare and finances’ financial institution Wells Fargo ‘took the highly unusual step of initiating a guardianship’ for Williams’ ‘financial affairs’ in January 2022.
The latest filing comes amid the ongoing legal battle around Lifetime’s documentary Where Is Wendy Williams? and the documents ask the court that certain parts of Williams’ ‘health, familial relationships, and finances’ be redacted for her privacy.
The two-part Lifetime special – which focuses on concerns around Williams and the impact of her alcohol addiction – has been contested since it was set to air in February.
The TV personality is 60-years-old (Picture: Getty)
Morrissey’s original request to halt the airing of the documentary was overturned as ‘impermissible prior restraint on speech that violates the First Amendment of the institution.’
She later filed an amended complaint in September against Lifetime and the production companies.
The suit then moved to federal court from New York Supreme Court in October.
Ahead of the Lifetime documentary airing, Williams’ care team issued a lengthy statement to the public explaining her medical condition.
Alzheimer’s and dementia: the facts
The most common forms of dementia (symptoms of a decline in brain function) are Alzheimer’s disease followed by vascular dementia.
Alzheimer’s is caused when plaques and tangles form in the brain making it increasingly hard for it to function properly. Early symptoms include forgetting recent events, struggling to remember words, becoming disorientated in familiar places and finding it difficult to concentrate.
Common early symptoms of vascular dementia include problems making decisions or following a series of steps, such as cooking a meal; slower speed of thought and trouble sleeping. The condition can also cause significant mood changes and depression and make people behave completely out of character.
Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer – and one in three babies born today will develop dementia in their lifetime. The risk of developing both Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia roughly doubles every five years from the age of 65. Women and men are affected equally. Diabetes, obesity, heart problems and high blood pressure all increase the risk.
However, you can significantly reduce your chances of developing the diseases by leading a healthy lifestyle – not smoking or drinking to excess, eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise. Keeping mentally and socially active is also beneficial.
The third most common form of dementia – accounting for an estimated 20 per cent of cases – is Lewy body. With this condition, tiny clumps of protein appear in the brain’s nerve cells, causing a range of issues including mood swings, problems processing thoughts, hallucinations, difficulty balancing and walking slowly. Although DLB (dementia with Lewy body) can affect people under 65, it is much more common as we age, affecting men and women equally.
There is currently no cure for any of the forms of dementia. But getting an early diagnosis is very important in allowing you and your loved ones to access all the medical and social support available. If you are worried that you have any of the symptoms, your GP will be able to refer you to a specialist who can carry out a range of tests.
If you are worried that yours or someone else’s symptoms may be dementia, download the Alzheimer’s Society symptoms checklist, on alzheimers.org.uk; for more information or support on anything you’ve read here, call our support line on 0333 150 3456 or visit our website.
It read: ‘As Wendy’s fans are aware, in the past she has been open with the public about her medical struggles with Graves’ Disease and Lymphedema as well as other significant challenges related to her health.
‘Over the past few years, 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.
‘In 2023, after undergoing a battery of medical tests, Wendy was officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).’
She has faced various health struggles over the years (Picture: Hahn Lionel/ABACA/REX/Shutterstock)
The statement added that the condition presented Williams with ‘significant hurdles in [her] life’.
It concluded: ‘The decision to share this news was difficult and made after careful consideration, not only to advocate for understanding and compassion for Wendy, but to raise awareness about aphasia and frontotemporal dementia and support the thousands of others facing similar circumstances.’
In 2022, Williams stepped out of the spotlight for several months following complications with Graves’ disease.
At the time the mother-of-one did an on-air phone interview sharing her hopes to be ‘back on the Wendy show bigger and brighter than ever.’
And a spokesperson told the Daily Mail at the time that ‘should her health get to a point where she can host again and should her desire be that she hosts again that she would be back on TV at that time.’
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