The former TV presenter thought her husband had kidnapped her after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
The former TV presenter thought her husband had kidnapped her after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
Fiona Phillips’ husband has opened up on his wife’s devastating Alzheimer’s diagnosis. The former GMTV presenter was told she had early onset dementia in 2023, after suffering from months of brain fog and anxiety.
In what she was hoping would be menopausal symptoms, Fiona soon learned she had inherited Alzheimer’s after both her parents had already lost their lives to the disease. Alzheimer’s is the UK’s biggest killer and Fiona’s husband Martin Frizell, former editor of This Morning, has spoken about how the family are coping while Fiona is living with dementia.
The dad-of-two spoke to Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond about his wife’s heartbreaking battle. He shared: “She’s got bad depression because she wants to work, she’d love to be here, she’s not well enough today to come and talk to you.”
Martin shared his anger about the lack of awareness of the disease, as Fiona is releasing a memoir titled “Remember When” to start the conversation.
He explained the book gave his wife a purpose: “It started off when we knew it was Alzheimer’s. It was to give her a purpose, to give her something to do. This is a bubbly, smart, fearless, very modern woman and all of a sudden it stops.”
Before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Fiona started struggling with mood swings and brain fog, and became very distant from her husband and two sons.
Martin was heartbroken to learn she had inherited the disease. He said: “I just get very angry no one talks about it.” He continued: “We become invisible with Alzheimer’s, no one wants to talk about it.”
Alison Hammond asked how Fiona is getting on at the moment, as Martin shared: “She’d love to be here, but she’s got anxiety. She’s got a secondary problem that causes her to be in a lot of pain, which adds to the confusion.”
Martin opened up on the darker times that aren’t spoken about enough. While out on a walk around the block close to their house, Fiona thought Martin had kidnapped her.
He said: “The most recent picture I took, only a few weeks ago. She’s looking great, she’s smiling, she’s got her coat on. What you don’t know is, she thought I’d kidnapped her.”
He explained she recognises him most of the time, but isn’t fully aware that he is her husband: “She does recognise me, she knows who I am most of the time, but she doesn’t quite know that I’m her husband. But every now and then, she’ll want to go home to her parents, and I haven’t got the heart to say, they aren’t here.”
He has expressed his frustration in the book, and he has written a passionate 24,000 words about the struggles of living with the condition and the lack of awareness.
He told the ITV hosts: “We’re just getting through it as a family” but is keen for people to learn more about Alzheimer’s in the hopes there will soon be a cure.
