Dean Windass diagnosed with dementia

Former professional footballer Dean Windass has broken his silence about his dementia battle and revealed how he broke down in tears of frustration during a memory test.

Speaking to the Mirror about his stage two dementia diagnosis, he told how he had kept quiet about the news for a year but insisted: “I’m all right. I'm not dying."

Forward Dean Windass scored the most famous goal in Hull City ’s history when firing the Tigers to a historic first promotion to the top flight in 2008.

He pointed out he only agreed to speak out to help others. “My phone has gone mad because everyone thinks I'm dying. I’m not dying. I’m all right,” he said. “My son text to ask if I was okay.

"Of course I'm worried, I'm not being naive, I don't want Kerry looking after me."

I don’t know what’s going to happen in five years or tomorrow. I just get on with it. “


Talking about his diagnosis, he explained how he forgets names and things his partner Kerry tells him. In the end he went to get scans after turning to John Stiles, the son of 1966 England World cup hero Nobby Stiles.

Manchester United legend Stiles died in 2020 aged 78, having lived with dementia for a number of years. Since then his son has been fighting for change. Dean said: “Obviously because I’ve headed footballs there’s some sort of bleeding on my brain. It’s shown something. I went into the big machine

We went for these scans last year and that was the diagnosis they gave me, stage two dementia. I asked if there was any problem and they said ‘no, but they don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow’.

He told how John Stiles, had offered him guidance last year and sent a lady around his home to do some memory tests. “He actually sent a lady round to my house for two days and she put me through some tests and I started crying because I got real frustrated because I couldn't do it.

Basically it was like a test to say ‘television and bus’... there were 20 words opposite each other. And then she’d say repeat what I just said now and I couldn’t remember it and I was getting so frustrated about it.