Martin Frizell and Fiona Phillips have been married since 1997 (Image: Getty)
boss Martin Frizell had a heartbreaking four-word response after finding out his wife Fiona Phillips had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The former GMTV presenter, 63, disclosed her battle with the disorder last year, following a difficult period marked by persistent brain fog and anxiety.
Addressing her plight when first opening up about her condition, Fiona said: “This disease has ravaged my family and now it has come for me.
“And all over the country there are people of all different ages whose lives are being affected by it – it’s heartbreaking. I just hope I can help find a cure which might make things better for others in the future.”
“It’s something I might have thought I’d get at 80”, she added. “But I was still only 61 years old.”
…
Fiona was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2022 (Image: Getty Images)
She continued: “I felt more angry than anything else because this disease has already impacted my life in so many ways; my poor mum was crippled with it, then my dad, my grandparents, my uncle It just keeps coming back for us.”
Martin, who has been married to Fiona since 1997, acknowledged the family’s heartbreaking history with the disease, saying: “Yes, tragically Fiona’s family has been riddled with it.”
Fiona had been privately battling the illness for one year before sharing her diagnosis with .
Fiona and Martin started to suspect something was wrong when the broadcaster began experiencing bouts of crippling anxiety towards the end of 2021, something unfamiliar to her.
“We thought maybe it was the menopause because all the symptoms were there; brain fog, anxiety and confusion,” Martin added to .
Don’t miss…
Martin admitted he felt “sick” after learning of his wife’s diagnosis (Image: Getty)
After consulting a menopause specialist who prescribed HRT, some symptoms improved, but the persistent brain fog led them to seek further medical advice.
She then underwent months of cognitive testing and a lumbar puncture to examine her spinal fluid, ultimately leading to the diagnosis she feared.
Martin recalled the gut-wrenching moment: “I just felt sick.”
Fiona added: “It was the shock.. Total shock. And then we said to each other.. ‘Shall we go and have a drink’. So that’s what we did.”
Martin, who announced on Wednesday that he was , recounted the doctor telling them it was early stages and urged them to go home and live their lives as normal.
Fiona hopes that she can help end the stigma surrounding the disease (Image: ITV)
Despite there being no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, clinical trials for drugs that could slow its progression were ongoing at University College Hospital (UCH) in London, and the research team was still recruiting trial participants.
To qualify for the trial, Fiona had to undergo tests to confirm her Alzheimer’s was still in the mild stages.
Fiona admitted she found the tests “stressful”, having not experienced something like that since she was in school. Thankfully, her Alzheimer’s was confirmed as mild and she secured the final spot on the trial.
Fiona was also prescribed some existing drugs used in the UK for the disease for nearly two decades. However, while these may alleviate symptoms for some patients, they do not halt or reverse the disease’s progress.
The mum-of-two hopes that by sharing her story, she can help end the stigma surrounding the disease – and provide comfort to others by sharing news of clinical trials she is participating in, which could revolutionise future Alzheimer’s treatment.