'Gentleman Jack' star Suranne Jones opens up on losing her mum to dementia ahead of national Cupcake Day

Suranne Jones has spoken about out her mother’s battle with dementia in a bid to raise awareness that the disease does not just effect older people.

The Gentleman Jack star’s mother Jenny tragically passed away two and half years ago after being diagnosed with vascular dementia in her fifties.

Jones, 40, revealed: “One of the questions I would have like to ask my mum - but her dementia accelerated quite fast so I wasn’t able to - was ‘What does it feel like?’”

In a touching video released today the Doctor Foster star joins 59-year-old Paul Hoskins - who has a rare form of dementia called Pick’s disease - to bake a batch of cupcakes for the Alzheimer’s Society’s national Cupcake Day.

Jones said: “I was really grateful to Paul for opening up about his dementia and baking together really allowed us to talk and reflect on the condition that has affected both of our lives. My mum was diagnosed at quite a young age, in her late fifties, and her dementia accelerated quite fast. I was keen to hear about Paul’s own experiences of the disease.

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“Hearing how Paul is going through some of the same things that my mum faced was really touching. He explained how day to day activities like getting dressed have become challenging for him.

“My mum started to put two skirts on or she would put her top on back to front.”

The former Coronation Street actress helped Hoskins to bake pineapple and carrot cupcakes from a recipe that had been handed down to him by his grandmother.

Jones - a keen supporter of the Alzheimer’s Society - urged others to get involved in Cupcake Day on Thursday June 13th to help raise awareness of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Read more: How to reduce your risk of Alzheimer's Disease

She said: “Sometimes when you talk about dementia, people imagine it’s a term that only refers to old people. It’s important to highlight the experiences of people like Paul, who is only in his fifties and really sprightly. As my mum was a similar age when she was diagnosed, it was enlightening to meet someone who was going through a similar experience to hers, with such optimism and strength.”

“In the time it takes to bake a batch of cupcakes, six people will develop dementia in the UK, so taking part in Cupcake Day is a fantastic way to raise vital funds to provide support for the many thousands of people currently living with dementia and for research into cause, cure and prevention”.

For more information on Cupcake Day and to sign up click here.