Fiona Phillips’ husband Martin Frizell shares highly personal update on her health
As she continues to battle Alzheimer’s, Fiona Phillips’ husband Martin Frizell has shared a highly personal update on her condition after the former GMTV host’s memoir about living with her condition reached the Sunday Times bestsellers list.
Fiona Phillips’ husband Martin Frizell has shared a highly personal update on her condition after the former GMTV host’s memoir about living with Alzheimer’s reached the Sunday Times bestsellers list.
Former broadcaster Fiona, 64, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2022 at the age of 61 and since then has been cared for by Martin, 66, a former ITV executive who stepped back from his career following her diagnosis.
Last month, the couple published Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer’s, which entered the Sunday Times chart at number one and this week placed fourth.
Posting on Instagram, Martin wrote: “She wants to say a massive thank you to everyone who has shown interest in her story, it’s really lifted her mood.
“Can I also thank the many folk who have been in touch with their own stories.”
He added alongside a photo showing Fiona smiling to the camera: “I attach my favourite picture of her from a TV location shoot and shows what a force of life and vitality she had.”
Martin also explained he and Fiona often look through photo albums together while listening to music. He added: “It’s from one of the many photo albums we flick through as we enjoy Sting’s essential collection – he’s replaced The Stylistics.”
In their book, Fiona and Martin – who married in 1997 and share two children – describe how their lives have been reshaped by her illness.
Martin, whose ITV career included roles on GMTV, This Morning and Loose Women, wrote about the daily demands of caring for his wife.
He said: “It is January 2025 as I write this, and Fiona needs a lot of help. 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.
“She is still very stubborn and doesn’t like brushing her teeth or feeling that she is being told what to do, so she rails against it.”
On the challenges of ensuring Fiona remains healthy, Martin added: “But this has to be the way, because the worst thing that could happen would be for her to get some kind of tooth infection when she is vulnerable.”
Martin also described how he helps Fiona dress each day.
He wrote: “She can put clothes on, but may not put them on the right way around, so she does need help dressing.
“I try to lay out clothes for her to put on in the morning, but she tends to get attached to particular items of clothing and will wear them over and over again.”
