Sex Pistols star John Lydon was left tearful on Good Morning Britain on Monday morning as he opened up about caring for his wife Nora.
The Irish-British punk rocker – best known by his stage name Johnny Rotten – was praised by host Ed Balls for his Eurovision bid song representing Ireland, which is dedicated to his wife, who has Alzheimer’s.
Lydon will bid for the spot alongside his band Public Image Ltd for the 2023 competition, with an emotional track focusing on his relationship with his wife of over 40 years.
The 66-year-old appeared on the ITV programme remotely as he offered hosts Ed and Susanna Reid a glimpse into his experience of caring for his wife.
Taking a light-hearted tone, Lydon said: “When I was younger, my mother was sick and my father worked away a lot, so I had to change my brother’s nappies.
“Well, now I'm changing my loved one’s nappies. It’s not ever been a problem.”
Touching on his previously unheard song titled Hawaii, he said: “This is the beginning of a new journey. Oddly enough, as bad as Alzheimers is, there are great moments of tenderness between us.
“I try to capture that in the song. It’s not all waiting for the Grim Reaper. I can see the personality in her eyes that lets me know.
“Her communication skills are letting her down. I’m just blessed that I can be there and catch on to that and pass something useful on to other people.”
He added: “I care now for all of its victims. Particularly spouses that have to endure this. What you’ve got to do is fight.”
In the song, Lydon reflects on their years together, and in particular, one of their happiest moments in Hawaii.
Ed Balls touched on his own mother’s battle with dementia as he praised the track, prompting Lydon to well up as he thanked the TV presenter.
He replied: “Brought a bit of a tear to my eye. This is my significant other, my partner, so I find it even less care out there available for our situation.
“That’s why I developed myself into a 24/7 kind of person to deal with it. You live for the moment and you can’t make any plans at all for that moment, but you’ve got to be there.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.
