Former Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, the Alzheimer's Society has confirmed, because apparently even retirement isn't safe from unwanted surprises.

Snow, who signed off his last bulletin in December 2021 after 32 years of fronting the program, will address his condition in a forthcoming documentary titled Jon Snow: A Last Big Story, airing on Channel 4 at 8pm on 20 June. In the film, which also covers a mining disaster in Zambia, Snow says: "At the beginning I wanted to hide it, there's so much prejudice. Any sort of hint of mental decay, you're sort of dead. There are moments when it pops up but it's not an all-day, every-day condition, and that's what I cling on to."

The 78-year-old, best known for his flamboyant ties and socks - because nothing says serious journalism like a necktie that looks like a psychedelic garden - covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nelson Mandela's release, and Barack Obama's inauguration during his tenure. Before Channel 4, he reported from Somalia and Vietnam for ITN and served as Washington correspondent during Ronald Reagan's presidency.

Snow's diagnosis was accelerated by a rather telling moment: he told his wife, Precious Lunga, he was late for work - ten months after he had left Channel 4. Speaking to friend and former colleague Kirsty Lang in the Daily Mail, Snow admitted: "I don't feel disabled in any way. I mean sometimes I doubt whether I've really got it." He had participated in a clinical trial for the condition and previously spoke about his mother, Joan, who struggled with the same illness before her death.

Michelle Dyson, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, called Snow's decision to go public "a real act of courage" and noted: "Despite being the UK's biggest killer, dementia is still not treated with the same urgency as other major health conditions like cancer." She added that Snow's "longstanding commitment to speaking out against injustice" would help ensure dementia "cannot be ignored by the UK government and the NHS."

Louisa Compton, head of news at Channel 4, said: "Jon Snow is not just one of Channel 4's most recognisable faces - he is part of our very fabric." The documentary, she explained, aims to "raise awareness of how to live whilst facing a life-changing diagnosis."

Snow himself summed it up: "If I don't speak out, who will?"