Fiona Phillips was all smiles in a rare photo shared by her husband Martin Frizell, who provided an update on the TV presenter's ongoing journey with Alzheimer's disease.
Rare Photo Shows Fiona Phillips Smiling
The former ITV presenter, best known for hosting GMTV Today, revealed she had the progressive neurodegenerative brain disorder in July 2023. She was first diagnosed in 2022 at age 61 after months of brain fog and anxiety. Now 65, Phillips has largely stepped back from public life alongside Frizell, who stepped down as editor of This Morning in 2024 to prioritise family.
In the caption to the new photo of Phillips smiling at the breakfast table, Frizell discussed Prime Minister Andy Burnham's promise to those with Alzheimer's and their carers. Burnham drew from his own experiences witnessing the care his father received when he had Alzheimer's.
“To me, they should be the best paid people in society, not the worst,” Burnham said of carers, citing social care reform.
Frizell noted that Phillips once almost worked with the now-Prime Minister when Gordon Brown asked her to serve as a health minister. He continued: “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.”
Martin Frizell Shares Personal Struggle
Phillips is now in the advanced stages of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. In recent months, Frizell revealed she received a letter from Kate McCann, mother of missing child Madeleine McCann, which greatly moved his wife, lifting the fog. He shared: “I didn’t realise until I read the letter that Kate McCann, herself a doctor, had spent almost ten years in [NHS] Memory Services, largely drawn to it because of her dad, who also had dementia.”
Frizell recalled that when reading the letter to Phillips, she began to tear up, remembering McCann’s missing daughter, and it seemed as though she were back on GMTV. He has also been open about her struggles. In August last year, he shared that her “biggest frustration” is not being able to work. Appearing on Loose Women, he explained: “She’s someone who has worked from the age of 11, at a paper round. Didn’t stop working till a couple of years ago when the Alzheimer’s made it difficult to do so. ... This was a fearless woman. She spent decades doing this. Seeing her now in that anxious phase is horrible. The whole of Alzheimer’s is horrible, as such.”
What is Early-Onset Alzheimer's?
Early-onset Alzheimer's, also known as young-onset dementia, is diagnosed before age 65. According to Alzheimer's Research UK, an estimated 70,800 people with dementia in the UK have young onset, and Alzheimer's disease accounts for around one in three cases. At least five in every 100 people with Alzheimer’s are under 65, though the figure may be higher. NHS symptoms begin with minor memory problems and can develop into confusion, disorientation, difficulty planning, speech problems, mobility issues, personality changes, hallucinations, and low mood or anxiety.
