Our Dementia Choir viewers break down in tears as families battle cruel illness

OUR Dementia Choir viewers were in floods of tears tonight as families shared their battles with the cruel illness.

Line of Duty's Vicky McClure led the emotional hour-long documentary following a collection of people with dementia coming together to create original song, What's Your Story?, to raise awareness of the condition.

Music has been proven to have a profound effect on people with dementia. Personal playlists for sufferers can, in many cases, reduce anxiety and depression and help maintain speech and language.

Actress and campaigner Vicky said: "I want music to be available to everyone and I want the world to see what people with dementia can achieve.

"It'd be great to be number one, but that's not the goal. The goal is to raise the profile raise the conversation and that to me is more important than anything."

Viewers were reduced to tears as dementia sufferer Mick's wife Karen spoke of the toll his illness had taken on their family, especially the couple's daughter, who now spends a lot of time out of the house as seeing Mick is too upsetting.

A lack of funding means there is a major financial burden on the family to fund Mick's care.

The show revealed an estimated 209,000 people will develop dementia in the UK this year.

While Alzheimer’s Society CEO Kate Lees called for a war on the illness, which is the seventh biggest killer in the UK.

One viewer wrote on Twitter: "God I am sobbing already, remembering how Mick was in the last series and seeing the difference this series is just so heartbreaking, Karen is just incredible.."

Another said: "Am in bits...awful disease Xxxxx."

A third posted: "Christ! Dementia is so bloody cruel #OurDementiaChoir."

The episode ended with the choir recording inside the legendary Abbey Road Studios in West London.

Mick struggled remembering the lyrics for his solo part, but when he eventually got it, there were cheers and tears of joy among the rest of the choir and their families.