Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson suffering from Alzheimer's

Gerry Anderson, the creator of the TV series 'Thunderbirds', has revealed that he has Alzheimer's Disease.

The 83-year-old, who also created 'Joe 90' and 'Stingray',  was diagnosed with the condition 18 months ago and has spoken about it for the first time to promote a walk organised by the Alzheimer's Society.

He told BBC Berkshire: "I don't think I realised at all. It was my wife Mary who began to notice that I would do something quite daft like putting the kettle in the sink and waiting for it to boil.

"Finally I was persuaded to go and see the doctor and eventually I was confronted with the traditional test - a piece of paper with drawings on it, taking a pencil and copying them.

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"I thought 'Why are they doing this? A child could do this'. But when I started to copy the drawings, that wasn't the case. I started to get in a muddle. That's when I began to realise that there was something wrong."

He also revealed that 'the bitterest blow' was being told that he could no longer drive:

"That virtually took away my freedom. It meant that I couldn't go to Pinewood studios where I worked, and this depressed me enormously because my film work was my life.

"Suddenly my life was cut off. Since I've had Alzheimer's I've realised how debilitating it is. It can affect your life in so many ways that you don't think about."

Gerry Anderson's most recent project was CGI film 'A Christmas Miracle'.

You can find out more about the Memory Walk and donate here -  http://alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=200390