Jonathan Dimbleby wells up over ‘extraordinary’ brother’s ‘unexpected’ year-long health battle

Broadcasting legend Jonathan Dimbleby struggled to hold back tears as he opened up on his late brother's tragic health battle.

In a sobering conversation with White Wine Question Time podcast host, Kate Thornton spoke to Jonathan about his harrowing experience documenting his brother, Nicholas Dimbleby's battle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

Struggling to contain his emotions, Jonathan explained the difficult time as his brother felt the affects of the debilitating condition: "He was quite extraordinary. I find it still quite difficult to easily talk about, because it was a very moving experience to wonder at the way in which he handled this awful, totally unexpected car crash of the worst possible kind.

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"He was a very very good sculptor, he lived all of his life as a professional sculptor and he was strong in nature too, confident, very active and to watch the decay, the physical decay of that body over the period of a year and no more, and to find himself in a wheelchair unable to move without help."

Jonathan recalled one moment when he was having a "powerful" discussion with his brother when a cat walked into the room. He continued: "One moment we were talking and a kitten came in, a cat came into the room and I had to go to the door.

"We were talking at quite a powerful, what he was thinking about, and he says 'there we are, the cat comes in and says get over yourself'. Now that takes some character. He had an inner strength."

Jonathan admits his brother was "frightened" and "in despair" at the end of his life. But he says Nicholas tackled MND "in a heroes way".

The two brothers recorded a documentary, The Bright Side of Life, in which they had frank discussions about Nicholas's condition. The sculptor died last year, aged 77.

Unlike many of the Dimbleby family, Nicholas opted to take a different career path, going into the sculpting industry where he has been commended down the years for works including one of his most famous works, a statue of former Coventry City manager, Jimmy Hill.

Doctors discovered Nicholas had MND after he "fell flat on his face" onto a pavement in 2023. MND is described by the NHS as a rare condition that impacts the brain, with it worsening over time leading to weakness.

While a cure is yet to be found for the condition, there are treatments that can help lessen the affects on the body, and some of those diagnosed can live with the condition for several years.

While symptoms of the condition happen gradually and may not be evident at first, according to the NHS symptoms can include;

• weakness in your ankle or leg – you might trip, or find it harder to climb stairs

• slurred speech, which may develop into difficulty swallowing some foods

• a weak grip – you might drop things, or find it hard to open jars or do up buttons

• muscle cramps and twitches

• weight loss – your arms or leg muscles may have become thinner over time

• difficulty stopping yourself from crying or laughing in inappropriate situations