News | Entertainment
17 Feb 2026 14:05
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    'Where Is Wendy Williams?' sheds a light on "the reality of Wendy's life"

    The 59-year-old TV star was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2023, and Mark Ford and Erica Hanson - the ex ecutive producers of 'Where Is Wendy Williams?' - have defended their new documentary amid criticism of the project


    Erica told 'Extra': "It was important for us to be able to shed light on what the reality of Wendy's life was under this care.

    "We were concerned about her being in that apartment, being alone, clearly drinking a lot ... she was really isolated and we were really concerned about her, that one of the reasons why we stayed and really kept pushing ... It is scary to think of if we weren't there at times."

    Mark added: "At a certain point we were more concerned about what would happen to her if we stopped filming than if we continued."

    Erica has also described the project - which was filmed before Wendy's diagnosis was revealed to the public - as a "labour of love".

    She added: "Even though it's a very intimate personal story of Wendy, I really believe it's a universal story that millions of people can relate to. And it's not comfortable and it is painful at times, but I feel like we did shed light on really important story for Wendy and how she was or wasn't getting the care she needed."

    Wendy was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia last year, and her care team recently revealed that the issues have "already presented significant hurdles in Wendy's life".

    The care team said in a statement: "Over the past few years, questions have been raised at times about Wendy's ability to process information and many have speculated about Wendy's condition, particularly when she began to lose words, act erratically at times, and have difficulty understanding financial transactions.

    "In 2023, after undergoing a battery of medical tests, Wendy was officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. Aphasia, a condition affecting language and communication abilities, and frontotemporal dementia, a progressive disorder impacting behaviour and cognitive functions, have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy's life."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     17 Feb: Madison Beer refuses to be "played like a pawn" by music ex ecutives
     17 Feb: Rose Byrne is "gifted at disassociating" herself from her work
     17 Feb: Travis Kelce feels emotional about the prospect of the Kansas City Chiefs moving from their current stadium
     17 Feb: Jane Fonda lies in bed imagining what she would say to President Donald Trump
     17 Feb: Kaley Cuoco's fiancé Tom Pelphrey has never watched her hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory
     17 Feb: Jo Wood has decided to stay single for now after failing to find a suitable man on dating apps
     17 Feb: Lucy Hale has sparked engagement rumours after she was spotted wearing a ring on her left hand during a recent coffee date with Phillip Lopez in Los Angeles
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Irish rugby to investigate racial abuse towards Test debutant Edwin Edogbo More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    This week marks the anniversary of New Zealand's first frozen lamb shipment to the UK, 144 years ago More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Madison Beer refuses to be "played like a pawn" by music ex ecutives 13:57

    Politics:
    Probes into the Teaching Council have outlined deep concerns, and found a serious need for change 13:47

    Law and Order:
    Police have uncovered a cache of drugs, after pulling over a suspicious vehicle on Auckland's Hibiscus Coast 13:27

    Entertainment:
    Rose Byrne is "gifted at disassociating" herself from her work 13:27

    Living & Travel:
    Beyond the beaches, Wellington’s catastrophic sewage spill could be bad news for coastal ecosystems 13:07

    Environment:
    Winter Olympics 2026: Eileen Gu medals despite blizzard, Ilia Malinin breaks his silence — day 10 quick hits 13:07

    Rugby League:
    The Breakers' disappointing Australian basketball league season might still result in individual accolades 13:07

    Entertainment:
    Travis Kelce feels emotional about the prospect of the Kansas City Chiefs moving from their current stadium 12:57

    Entertainment:
    Jane Fonda lies in bed imagining what she would say to President Donald Trump 12:27

    Law and Order:
    Three people ended up in Dunedin hospital on Saturday - in varying states of consciousness, hit in the head by thrown objects at a party on Castle Street 12:27


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd