Fiona Phillips' health struggles put a 'strain' on her marriage
Fiona Phillips has revealed how her health struggles almost ended her marriage.
Fiona Phillips' marriage almost ended amid her struggles with Alzheimer's disease.
The 64-year-old TV presenter has revealed that her marriage to Martin Frizell came under "increasing strain", as she mistakenly blamed her mood swings and anxiety on "brain fog".
In an excerpt from Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer's - which has been shared with the Daily Mail newspaper - Fiona explains: "For me it was the sense of brain fog and a sense of anxiety that I could rarely shake off.
"The simplest thing, like going to the bank to ask about my account, would send me into a total panic, and there were mood swings too, which meant even I was finding my behaviour unpredictable.
"And yet, despite not wanting to be like that, I couldn't do anything about it. I felt I'd lost control over my life."
Fiona and Martin briefly split following a series of explosive rows.
But the married duo soon reunited and Martin encouraged the former GMTV star to explore whether there was something more serious causing her mood swings.
Fiona - who has a history of Alzheimer's in her family - recalled: "Martin and I sat next to each other across the desk from the consultant. We made some small talk about the weather as I scanned the desk for any stray reports or letters that might give a glimpse of what was coming my way.
"'Yes, so your results are back,' he said slowly. 'And yes, I'm afraid to tell you that you do have early-onset Alzheimer's disease.'
"Martin and I stared at him.
"Neither of us said a word. We sat rigid, locked in suspended animation between everything our lives had been before this moment and everything they would become beyond it.
"I'd only turned 61 at the start of that year. And, while I suppose I had always thought I might get the disease one day, I'd hoped it might be when I was in my eighties or even nineties."
Despite this, Fiona has never wanted any "pity" from the public or her former colleagues.
The TV presenter explained: "We drove down the road we had driven down a million times before, opened the door to the home where we had brought up our boys, then sat in the front room and watched TV.
"Nat was away in the Army, Mackenzie was out with his mates. Everything was normal. But, then, what was our alternative?
"There was no Plan B.
"This was my life now."
