Anne-Marie Duff Returns to Stage After Caring for Late Brother with Early-Onset Alzheimer's

Anne-Marie Duff has returned to the stage in the lead role of Some Women at the National Theatre, following a two-year hiatus from her career. The British actress, 56, took time off work to care for her late mother and her brother, Eddie, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Duff described her time away as a period of profound connection, stating in an interview with Culture magazine, "I don't have any regrets. I'm so glad I was able to be around for all of that, it was a no-brainer. I got a true, very essential, pure notion of what love was there, for a while."

Her brother, Eddie, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's in his late 40s in 2017. He lived with the disease for 15 years before his death at age 57 in February. Duff recounted the progression of his illness, noting erratic behavior in his forties, such as getting on the wrong bus and forgetting basic tasks. "Anything to do with a degenerative disease is so hard because you do feel like you're slowly saying goodbye to somebody," she said.

Duff also shared her experience caring for her mother, Mary, who was in hospital for an extended period before her death in December. She described being with both her parents during their final chapters. "For their closing chapters, I was with them both, and my dad, the pair of us were comaneros, facing it together," she said.

The play, Some Women, features Duff as Julie, a divorced and exhausted mother of two. The narrative unfolds when a young boy approaches her and makes an offensive remark, compelling her to react and setting off a chain of events. The play, created by Helen Edmundson and directed by Blanche McIntyre, is scheduled to run at the Dorfman Theatre until November 21.

Early-onset Alzheimer's disease is a less common form of dementia affecting individuals under 65, often appearing in their 40s and 50s. Duff candidly discussed the challenges of navigating the healthcare system for her brother, particularly when seeking specialized care homes. She expressed frustration with facilities that were hesitant to admit patients under 65, even when they required significant support.

"I felt like I was going mad a little bit during those months where I couldn't get hold of anybody," Duff stated, referring to the difficulties in securing appropriate care. She also criticized the quality of dementia care, calling it "a mudslide" over the past decade and describing conditions in one home she visited as "desperately sad" and "one of the most shocking things I've ever seen in my life."

Despite the hardships, Duff found moments of joy and deeper connection with her brother. "Once I'd learned to go with the flow, there were no distracting factors, just love and connection. We became much closer," she explained. She recalled a poignant moment before Eddie's passing, where she told him to say everything he wanted to before he left. "For half an hour he looked me dead in the eye and just talked - although, of course, it didn't make sense," she recalled, adding, "I feel extraordinarily blessed to have had such a profound moment with my sibling. I knew that I was saying goodbye."

Duff acknowledged her privilege in being able to contribute financially to her brother's care when state support was insufficient. "I knew that I'd have to contribute a lot of money, and that's fine because I'm Anne-Marie Duff off the telly. But they didn't know that. What do people do?" she questioned, highlighting the systemic issues faced by families without such resources.

For confidential advice and support regarding dementia, individuals can contact the Alzheimer's Society's Dementia Support Line at 0333 150 3456.