Thanks to everyone for being so kind!
Storm - I think your spelling was a bit off..... not 'hunk' more 'hunch' as in 'hunchback', surely?
Here is a report on the day.
We were picked up by a car sent by the TV company. By "we" I mean me, and Nina. Nina was Jan's best friend when I first met the two of these wonderful Welsh girls, and has since saved me from the depths I hit two years after Jan was taken from me.
We arrived at the studios, and entered through a warehouse of bits of sets with tantalising labels like "Parkinson". Straight to the "Green Room" which is where people due to go on the programme sit and watch the bits they are not taking part in. Loads of Danish partries and tea, though I was not in eating mood, before the programme at least.
Angela, the other carer who appeared on the show, arrived and we introduced ourselves and did a quick compare of our stories. Angela is lovely, and is doing an amazing job, caring for her husband at home, under most difficult circumstances. Angela does not have the time to use TP, unfortunately, though her time may come!.
I was quite mad as we awaited our time on the show, to read the papers that were in the Green Room. None featured the Alzheimer's booklet, or any mention of the campaign. This is apparently normal for our press, which prefers much more frivolous fare - or is that the public?
We never got to meet the 'star' of the Valentine's Day show, Richard Gere, but in due course we were miked up and five minutes before our bit went out live, we were taken to the studio which was being set up for us.
Hannah, the lovely person from the Alzheimer's Society, whose idea the new "Love is Forever" was/is, and Nina came too, to stand behind the cameras as the show was broadcast.
Angela and I were introduced on the set to Michael Ball and Gloria Hunniford, who were compering the show, and then we were told "1 minute to airtime". So we had no time to be nervous!
After that I have no remembrance until we were off air; no idea of what they asked, or what I said. Always this way when I used to present at conferences, and the same now. Just cross fingers and pray!
Afterwards we waited in the Green Room [by now I was eating Danish pastries like there was no tomorrow, and my hands were shaking like crazy] until the end of the show so we could have a final chat with Michael and Gloria, plus photographs, then we were off.
I can't say how good Michael and Gloria were, how caring, and keen to help us put as much as possible across to the audience. They made us feel totally at home, albeit with a brief acquaintance of a couple of minutes, and it really was like being in a private house with them, not a busy TV studio. Michael promised me he would include the TP information and he ensured he did so, as well as to mention "Alzheimer's Society", which Hannah told us many shows/papers forget to do.
For those who already like Michael, I'd say that he is quite amazingly sensitive and caring. I admit that I kind of dismissed him before the show. No longer! He is a true 'star', in times when that term has become degraded. Lovely man.
[Gloria too, it is just that I feel bad to have under-rated Michael]
Hannah and her colleagues at the AS had done a magnificent job in enabling Angela and me to get this opportunity to give a glimpse of what we carers all do. I hope it does some good.
I provided 98 megabytes worth of photographs and two videos plus a multi page text description of our lives, Jan's, mine and Nina's. There was no time for the programme to use any of that, so I'll save them until another chance makes itself available.....
