Helen Mirren talks about Parkinson's in national media

2 December 2010

Oscar winning actress Helen Mirren has given an interview to The Guardian, where she spoke about the need to change attitudes to Parkinson's.

She revealed that a good friend of hers, a photographer who she's known for 30 years, was diagnosed with Parkinson's about 10 years ago.

Need for better public understanding of Parkinson's

In the article in The Guardian, Helen Mirren said:

"The most important thing is to bring people with Parkinson's into our world and for the public to have a real understanding of it, as they're beginning to have with autism.

"The public need to have a similarly open discussion about Parkinson's.

"People like my friend are as valuable and important as you and I and anybody else, and they must not feel that the world is such that they have to hide themselves away."

Also on ITV's Daybreak this morning

Helen Mirren was also interviewed live on ITV's Daybreak this morning. She spoke about seeing how Parkinson's can affect people with the condition.

Watch Helen Mirren's interview on the ITV website

People with Parkinson's using the Wii

Helen also told Daybreak presenters Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley this morning about our new research project exploring the potential benefits of the Wii for people with Parkinson's.

This new research was also reported in The Guardian article.

Because Helen has a personal connection to the condition, she's interested in how this technology can help people with Parkinson's with their balance.

Helen Mirren supports Fair Care campaign

Helen also lent her support to our Fair Care for Parkinson's campaign. She said:

"It's terrible that one person living 15 miles away from another does not have access to something while the other person does."

Steve Ford, our Chief Executive, adds:

"We are delighted that Helen Mirren is showing her support for our Fair Care for Parkinson's campaign and understands the need to change attitudes to Parkinson's – among the public, healthcare professionals and in government."

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