The much-loved broadcaster and her TV producer husband have written a book about her life in the public eye and what it’s like to live with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease – and it includes an agonising admission
When TV presenter Fiona Phillips was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2022, her husband Martin Frizzell stuck by their vows of in sickness and in health. But the former This Morning producer, who has been married to Fiona for 28 years, has revealed how living with the brain degenerative condition is becoming more and more painful.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in the UK, which causes an ongoing decline of brain functioning including memory, thinking skills and other abilities. The progressive, life-limiting condition has been the UK’s leading cause of death for the last ten years and it’s a cause very close to Martin’s heart after watching his wife suffer with the condition.
“I used to say good days and bad days, now I just say bad days or wretched days, I think wretched is a great word for it,” he told BBC Newsnight in a recent interview. And he also disclosed how the condition has affected his wife. “In the cab ride, 35 minutes, she asked me 72 times, where are we going?'”
And in another interview he agonisingly admitted hat while she does recognise him, she sometimes doesn’t understand that he is her husband and once thought he was kidnapping her.
READ MORE: Fiona Phillips’ husband reveals her heartbreaking daily routine after Alzheimer’s diagnosis
Martin has been speaking candidly about his wife’s vulnerability ahead of the publication of the couple’s joint memoir titled Remember When: My Life with Alzheimer’s. Speaking to Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary on This Morning, he said: “In the book there’s a photo of her looking great and smiling but what you don’t know is she thought I kidnapped her.”
Explaining the cruel reality of the disease, Martin shared that Fiona will sometimes plead to ‘go home’ to her parents, not understanding that they are no longer here. “She does recognise me most of the time – she doesn’t quite know I’m her husband – but she knows who I am. Every now and then she’ll want to go home to her parents and I haven’t the heart to say ‘they aren’t here’.
Former Mirror columnist Fiona, 64, initially thought she was having menopause symptoms when she first started experiencing “brain fog and anxiety”. The mum-of-two went onto be diagnosed with the same devastating condition her parents suffered from, with the star caring for them both.
Martin, who spent ten years at the helm of ITV This Morning, stepped down from his position in February to care for Fiona. In excerpts from their heartbreaking memoir published in the Daily Mail, he told of his wife’s daily routine. “It is January 2025 as I write this, and Fiona needs a lot of help,” said Martin. “She needs help showering and brushing her teeth. She can do these things physically, but is unable now to think about how she should do them…
“I wash Fiona’s hair because she wouldn’t know what shampoo or conditioner to use or how wet her hair needs to be or that she must rinse the soap suds out afterwards. And most nights I’ll say, ‘Right, we need to brush our teeth before we go to bed,’ and I’ll put the toothpaste on the brush and hand it to her.”
Martin and Fiona married in 1997 and went onto have sons Nat and Mackenzie. With her Alzheimer’s disease progressing, Martin heartbreakingly shared that his wife sometimes forgets they are married, while Fiona told how she much she was struggling to accept the diagnosis in the beginning.
Martin explained that while Fiona can dress herself, she doesn’t do it “correctly” and sometimes puts things on the wrong way round. He also revealed his wife becomes very fond of one piece of clothing and will want to wear it “over and over again.”
Fiona is best known for presenting ITV breakfast programme GMTV Today. but began her career in local radio and was also a Daily Mirror columnist and Loose Women panellist.
Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer’s by Fiona Phillips (Macmillan, £22), is out now.
For information and advice about Alzheimer’s, visit the Alzheimer’s Society