David Cameron: I hope I'm a better husband now than when I was prime minister

David Cameron, who came here in 2016 with his family, said he cooks more these days. than he was on Downing Street.

The former prime minister described his newfound relaxed lifestyle after Brexit marked the end of his six years in office in 2016.

In an interview from his country home in Cornwall, where he stayed with his wife Samantha and three children, a tanned Mr. Cameron reflected on this turbulent period, telling The Times: “I hope I'm a better parent and husband than I could ever have been.”

“I definitely do more of the cooking and organizing than I do. I have two teenagers and a 12 year old so there is still a lot to do.”

Personal battle

Mr Cameron, who has rarely spoken or appeared in public since leaving Westminster, admitted that “you can't define your legacy as prime minister” as “other people will decide that for you.”

After leaving office, his immediate reason was his presidency of the Alzheimer's Research Center in the UK, although he insisted that he did not plan to establish an institute, as Sir Tony Blair did.

In March 2022, he revealed that his mother, Mary, is now 88 years old and diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

“Of course it's personal now,” he told The Times. “Obviously it has a huge impact on the family, everything. It doubles my enthusiasm for staying committed to this cause.

“You see up close what happens when you have Alzheimer's. It's not straight-line worsening.”

Alzheimer's drug hailed

He hailed a potential revolutionary new drug for the disease, donanemab, which in trials slowed cognitive decline by 60%, as “the beginning of the end.”

“The magic answer we're looking for is to go to the doctor, get a blood test, and if it shows you have early onset Alzheimer's, you'll get treatment,” said Mr. n Cameron.

“I went to the doctor when I was 50. They said you had a little high cholesterol, so here's a statin for you, which should reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. If there were statins for the brain, that would be a real breakthrough.”

This speaks to his broader attitude towards disease in general. He said: “There is no point in living to 100 if you have not known who you are and who your family is for the last 20 years.”