The Crown actor Josh O’Connor ‘in awe’ of uncle living with early Alzheimer’s

Josh O’Connor, who played Prince Charles in The Crown, has said he is “in awe” of his uncle who is living with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

The actor, who also starred in Challengers, is supporting his uncle Bernard Bunting’s bid to raise £1 million for a new Rare Dementia Support Centre in London.

Former soldier Mr Bunting, 67, developed dementia symptoms around the age of 60 but was not diagnosed until three years ago.

On Sunday, he is setting off on a 4,200-mile bike ride round the coast of Britain for the National Brain Appeal to support the world’s first rare dementia support centre, which will open next year in London.

More than 70,800 people in the UK are living with young-onset dementia, which occurs when the condition develops before the age of 65.

O’Connor said: “I am in awe of my uncle Bernard for taking on this challenge and not letting his diagnosis hold him back.

“Knowing how determined he is, he will push through physical boundaries to complete this immense challenge and reach his fundraising goals.”

Mr Bunting’s father was the sculptor John Bunting and his sister is the journalist and author Madeleine Bunting.

Mr Bunting is currently taking part in a clinical trial led by Professor Catherine Mummery, head of clinical trials at the UCL Dementia Research Centre, to test a new generation of drugs aimed at slowing down the progress of young-onset Alzheimer’s.

Mr Bunting said: “Taking part in this clinical trial is really important to me.

“The best-case scenario is that it slows the progression of my Alzheimer’s, but what is also crucial is how these trials will help researchers learn more about the disease and benefit others like me in the future.”

He added: “For me, life carries on – you don’t feel it every day.

“In fact, although there are some things I can’t do as well as I could in the past, I feel no different to when I was at school 50 years ago.

“I’m lucky, I’m reasonably fit and I’ve got lots of outdoor pursuits.”

Mr Bunting lives between London and Yorkshire with his wife Caroline. They have two daughters, Emily and Anna.

A keen cyclist, his goal is to raise £1m in the form of 100,000 one-off donations of £10 from individual sponsors.

Starting from Putney Bridge on Sunday, he will travel south and follow the coast around Cornwall, Wales, then north to Scotland before heading back down to London.

He is expecting the journey to take seven to eight weeks.

“When you look at a map of the UK, it’s absolutely staggering – all the estuaries, rivers, the ups and downs,” he said.

“I’m fascinated by that and, over the past 18 months, I have trained hard, and mapped out my own 4,200-mile route around the coast of England, Wales and Scotland, setting up a satellite navigation system to guide me around it.

“My route around, will include a total elevation of 57,000 metres (18,7007ft) – almost the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest from sea level, every week for the seven or so weeks of the trip.”

Claire Wood Hill, chief executive of the National Brain Appeal, said: “The challenge that Bernard has set himself is truly awe-inspiring and we are incredibly grateful.

“The Rare Dementia Support Centre really will transform the lives of people affected by these devastating conditions.

“We will be following his progress closely and wish him the very best of luck.”