Casualty’s Cathy Shipton says her new dementia plot will help to destigmatise the illness.
The 61-year-old actress – who has portrayed nurse Lisa ‘Duffy’ Duffin in the hit BBC medical series on and off since it began in 1986 – is pleased that the writers have given her such an important storyline and she thinks it will resonate with viewers because thy will see a beloved character suffer with the effects of mental deterioration .
Cathy told What’s On TV magazine: "This is just the start of a long-running storyline. The producers really want to destigmatise this issue, which is why they wanted it to affect a character the audience are invested in, like Duffy.
"At the moment everyone just thinks I’m a hussy. But ‘Casualty’ is known for highlighting relationship problems and health issues."
Her character Duffy – who previously betrayed her husband Charlie by having a one-night stand with her childhood sweetheart Bill – has been acting strangely for some weeks now.
She has recently become disliked by the audience for having an affair and has also been taking antidepressants to help her cope with panic and anxiety attacks.
After suffering a bad fall at home, Duffy is embarrassed when she’s brought into hospital by paramedics – instead of her husband Charlie – and plays down how bad she is feeling because she fears receiving a more serious diagnosis.
Later, she researches her symptoms online and discovers that the diagnosis is dementia -leaving the audience wondering whether Duffy will continue to suffer in silence.
Dementia is an overall term that describes a group of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities.
It is recommended that those over the age of 65 who are becoming increasingly forgetful should go and talk to their GP about the early signs of dementia – as one in 14 people over 65 will develop the syndrome.
‘Casualty’ airs every Saturday at 9.15pm on BBC One.
Casualty star Cathy Shipton says new story will destigmatize dementia
