During Tuesday’s (14 October) instalment of BBC Breakfast, hosts Sally Nugent and Jon Kay welcomed legendary singer Tony Christie to the sofa as they discussed his latest career ventures.

At 82 years old, Christie appeared on the program alongside Tony Hadley, known for his role in the band Spandau Ballet. The duo enthusiastically shared insights into their collaborative efforts in recording new music and the thrill of performing live.

Tony, known for the hit track (Is This The Way To) Amarillo, opened up about retiring, admitting he hasn’t quite managed to turn his back on live tours for good yet.

When questioned whether retiring is on the cards, Tony said, “You say, ‘I’m retiring’, and suddenly the phone starts ringing, and they’re booking around the world.”

Attention soon turned to Tony’s health after the singer had revealed in January 2023 that he was living with dementia.

The 82-year-old admitted he was “getting older” but pointed out that “the voice is still there”, prompting Sally to ask him about his health.

“Tony, I think the last time you were on this sofa we talked about your dementia diagnosis,” she began. Tony soon interjected with a hilarious response: “Oh, I’d forgotten about that!”

As Jon and Tony fell about laughing, Sally went on to highlight: “The singing must help?”

“It was about four years ago that I was diagnosed with dementia,” Tony revealed. “The doctor said, ‘You’re very fortunate you’re in the music business, because music is one of the things we recommend for people with dementia’.”

The singer went on to highlight the positive impact singing can have on those living with dementia, before providing an update on his diagnosis.

“It calms it down. So, she said, ‘You carry on singing and it’ll keep it down’,” he said, before exclaiming: “And, it hasn’t got any worse because I’m still singing, it’s still working!”

Sally and Jon proceeded to ask Tony about the difficulties dementia may pose when he is performing live, especially when it comes to remembering lyrics to songs.

He revealed that he has used a lyric sheet for many years while performing, even before he was diagnosed with dementia.

Tony added, “When you’ve got hundreds of songs that you sing, you can’t remember them. It’s impossible, isn’t it?”

Tony has been open about his dementia diagnosis in interviews over the years and has continued to raise awareness of the condition through the Music for Dementia charity, stressing how music helps prompt memories.

He and his granddaughter, Deia, 18, recently created a dementia-friendly playlist for the charity’s online radio service m4dRADIO.com.

Deia was interviewed on BBC Breakfast back in September about her grandfather and spoke of their shared love of music.

BBC Breakfast airs on BBC One eveyday from 6am.