The news presenter is set to share his Alzheimer’s journey in his new Channel 4 documentary
Jon is set to share his Alzheimer’s journey on his new Channel 4 documentary (Image: CHANNEL 4)
Jon Snow spent over three decades becoming one of the nation’s most trusted broadcasters.
The TV star was the face of Channel 4 News from 1989 to 2021. He decided to step down from his role after 32 years to focus on ‘longer-form projects’.
The 78-year-old broadcaster has been flooded with support in recent weeks after sharing he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s back in 2023.
Jon is set to share his journey in an upcoming Channel 4 documentary, Jon Snow: A Last Big Story, which is set to air tonight (June 20).
Before he takes us behind the scenes of his diagnosis, find out all you need to know about his family life.
Who is Jon Snow’s wife?
Jon is married to epidemiologist and entrepreneur Precious Lunga (Image: Getty Images)
Jon is married to his wife, Dr Precious Lunga. The 51-year-old is an epidemiologist and entrepreneur from Zimbabwe, who left the African country aged 17 to study in the UK.
She graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1998 with a degree in neuroscience, before completing a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Cambridge in 2003.
The couple first met in 2001 on the Caribbean island of Mustique, where they tied the knot nine years later in 2010.
Who are Jon Snow’s kids?
Jon has three children: Freya, Leila and a baby boy. The TV journalist had his first two children with human rights lawyer Madeleine Colvin, whom he was in a relationship with for 35 years.
The star welcomed his third child via surrogacy wife Precious in 2021.
Leila
Leila is Jon’s oldest child. The 42-year-old used to run a tea room called High Tea of Highgate before the business closed in March 2018.
The tea room was very popular before its closure and even received a review from Snow himself, tweeting in 2015: “Sunny coffee at my daughter Leila’s cafe High Tea in London’s Highgate… not bad at all in fact delightful.”
Freya
Freya is Jon’s youngest daughter and second child with Colvin. The 38-year-old is a lawyer specialising in social issues and is believed to have a particular interest in defending protest cases.
Speaking of his two eldest children in a 2016 interview with The Guardian, Snow said: “I have an incredibly close relationship with them.
“I don’t dare to give any parenting advice because I don’t pretend to be an expert myself.
“However, I do worry that kids these days are too glued to their electronic devices and I worry about the negative issues that come from that, such as cyberbullying, peer pressure and sexting.
“We need to go back to basics, reading to children at night, because it’s an invaluable bonding experience and gives them a thirst for learning.”
Jon’s youngest child is a baby boy, born via surrogacy in March 2021
Baby boy
Jon’s youngest child is a baby boy, born via surrogacy in March 2021.
Speaking after the birth, the Channel 4 star said: “In our desire to seal our now 11 years of marriage with a baby, my wife suffered numerous medical setbacks and miscarriages.
“Consequently, we will always be deeply grateful to our surrogate, who carried our embryo to term. Amid these challenging times, we feel doubly blessed to be able to celebrate our good fortune.”
Jon Snow: A Last Big Story will air on Channel 4 on Saturday 20 June at 8pm.