‘I wish I hadn’t even had the scan’: Former Premier League star Dean Windass’ heartbreaking update on his dementia diagnosis

Former Premier League star and Hull City legend Dean Windass has given a heartbreaking update on his dementia diagnosis. 

The much-travelled, prolific former striker, 56, plundered 234 goals in a career spanning close to 20 years for clubs including Hull, Aberdeen, Middlesbrough and Bradford City.

Windass is written into folklore at Hull after his dramatic 2008 play-off final strike sent the Tigers to the Premier League for the first time, while his larger-than-life character also endeared him to fans along the way.

However, he was tragically diagnosed with dementia in January 2004, 15 years after retiring – and Windass has previously opened up to Mail Sport about the condition and how he is taking things ‘a day at a time’.

And on Wednesday, Windass appeared on Good Morning Britain and provided an update to fans and revealed he wished he didn’t know about his diagnosis. 

‘John [Stiles] asked me about a year and half ago [to get a scan] and I declined,’ he told hosts Ed Balls and Ranvir Singh. ‘I said “No, I’m not interested really to find out”, and he was expressing about the football families and how a lot of ex footballers have passed away [from dementia]. 

Windass (left) appeared on Good Morning Britain alongside his fiancee Kerry Kehoe (centre)

Windass is a legend at Hull after scoring the goal that took them to the Premier League in 2008

‘He said, “Look it might help a lot of people”, so I was sort of a guinea pig to go into this scan machine. There’s a lot of footballers that won’t do it because they don’t want to know the outcome. I wish I wouldn’t have gone in now, but it’s happened.’

When pressed by Balls on what he meant by saying he wished he hadn’t done the scan, Windass, who was joined by his fiancee Kerry Kehoe, added: ‘Yeah, because then I wouldn’t have known would I? It would be better not to know.

‘They said this is the diagnosis, it’s very mild. You have nothing to worry about at this stage. It could be five to ten years that it could develop to bigger stages, so it wasn’t the news that I wanted. I was scared Ed, I was scared, of course I was.

‘I do forget a lot of things of course, but Kerry runs everything for me. I’m 56 now, so of course I forget names and forget things, but I don’t know if I’m over thinking subconsciously. Kerry will ask me everyday “Do you know what you’re doing this week?”‘

Kerry admitted they don’t speak about the diagnosis together and that they initially ‘buried our heads in the sand’.

Meanwhile, Windass’ son Josh plays for Sheffield Wednesday while his other son Jordan has played for Oldham and Darlington.

And the 56-year-old went on to admit that he is worried about their welfare and hinted authorities should do more to protect players.

‘The reason that I didn’t come out and speak about it a year and a half ago was that my eldest son is a professional footballer and my youngest son was a professional footballer but plays amateur football now,’ he explained.

Windass said he wished he hadn’t taken a scan to find out about his dementia diagnosis

He also admitted he is concerned for his two sons, including Sheffield Wednesday star Josh

‘I didn’t want my mum to worry, I didn’t want my kids to worry, I didn’t want her [Kerry’s] family to worry.

‘It’s not just football matches, it’s training everyday, the repetition of heading balls everyday – I did it for 20 years. I don’t know if Josh [Dean’s son] does head it everyday. 

‘He’s not a massive header of the ball anyway really but I said to him “try not to head the ball” but you have to in a game, of course you have. 

‘He scored a goal at Wembley by heading the ball. You’ve got to head it, but can you minimise it in training?’