Martin Frizell, husband of former GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips, shared a rare photo of his wife smiling at breakfast on Wednesday (29 July) while calling on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to support people with Alzheimer's.
Rare Photo Shared
In the photo posted to Instagram, Phillips, 65, is seen in her kitchen holding a spoon. The couple have been married for 29 years. Phillips was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2022 after experiencing brain fog and anxiety she initially attributed to menopause.
Frizell stepped down from his role as editor of This Morning in December 2024 to support his wife, whose condition has worsened.
Call on Prime Minister
Using the photo, Frizell addressed Burnham directly, writing: "Fiona at breakfast today. At one point she was going to work with Andy Burnham as Health Secretary when Gordon Brown asked her to become a health minister in his government."
Burnham, whose father Kenneth has Alzheimer's, promised earlier on Wednesday to reform social care in the UK and help "my dad and the millions like him". Frizell continued in his post: "If the new Prime Minister, who knows what Alzheimer's can do from his father's experience, follows through on making a difference to sufferers like Fiona, his dad and millions of others then he will become the most consequential politician of his generation."
He added: "For decades no-one listened, dementia became the poor relation to cancer and yet it's our biggest killer. Sadly it's taken someone touched by dementia to take it seriously but how will we afford to treat it properly? Who knows but when your family life is altered forever by a dementia diagnosis you won't be quibbling about one or two per cent extra you've contributed to provide to a proper care system."
Frizell concluded: "If in doubt, spend a day with an Alzheimer's family and you'll see why there's so much hope riding on Andy Burnham and Louise Casey. It cheered up our morning."
Earlier Diagnosis and Update
Phillips first shared her Alzheimer's diagnosis in 2023. The couple live with their two adult sons, Nathaniel and Mackenzie. In February, Frizell provided an update on his wife's condition, saying she was "slipping away" due to the incurable condition and could no longer remember major events such as Christmas, New Year or Valentine's Day.
"It's wretched; not just for her but for the family as well," he said on Lorraine. "She's still there, but day by day, we can see it slipping away." He added: "Just to sit there and see this person who was, as you know, the most dynamic, bubbly, and had so much pride in how she dressed and what she did, it's just a loss of dignity."
