Angela Rippon has praised the family of Bruce Willis for talking about his Dementia diagnosis, as she backed a new campaign of support for people helping loved ones cope. The Alzheimer’s Society said there was a huge 12,000 per cent surge in visits to its website after the A-lister’s diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia was revealed.

Angela, 78, got involved with the charity when her late mother Edna was diagnosed in 2004. She became its ambassador and also co-chairs one of the Prime Minister’s committees on dementia.

The former BBC newsreader said a stigma around dementia had improved greatly over the past 20 years, aided by the condition receiving a higher profile.

She added: “We’ve had radio and television soap operas, books have been written about people with dementia…Dementia over the last 20 years has been given such a huge profile compared to the 50 years beforehand that more people are aware of it, are prepared to talk about it.

“Bruce Willis’ family coming straight out and saying, ‘Bruce has got dementia’, talking about it, giving it a high profile.”

Close relatives of Die Hard actor Bruce, 68, recently confirmed he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Angela feels people need to talk about the condition so more know what it is, how it can appear and how to help others if they have it.

She added: “The more you can talk about it, the more you can make people understand and be less afraid of it…how it’s likely to affect your loved one, the better it is going to be for those people who then have to live with dementia to be able to do so with dignity.”

The charity’s campaign video The Ultimate Vow shows a wife caring for her husband as his symptoms develop. Angela described the scenes as “incredibly powerful”.