Fiona Phillips’ husband Martin Frizell shares heartwrenching Alzheimer’s update
As the former ITV presenter continues to battle Alzheimer's disease, Fiona Phillips' husband Martin Frizell has revealed she "doesn't remember Christmas".
Fiona Phillips “doesn’t remember Christmas” as the former ITV presenter continues her battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Fiona, 65, revealed she had been diagnosed with the disease in 2023, and her condition has seemingly deteriorated since then, as her husband Martin Frizell has now revealed she is struggling to recall the festivities.
During an appearance on Lorraine, Martin said of Fiona: “She doesn’t remember Christmas now, she doesn’t remember New Year. I don’t want to give the impression she’s some sort of basket case. She’s very much with us.
“She is still the world’s most stubborn woman and still around the house.”
The former This Morning producer then shared a new picture of Fiona.
He said: “There’s a nice picture of her eating some chocolate; she’ll probably hate it because she thinks her hair colour should be a bit better.”
Reflecting on the impact Alzheimer’s has made on Fiona, Martin said: “There’s no way I could drive or we could take public transport as Fiona now rarely understands where she is going or why, constantly asking what is happening, probably four or five times a minute on loop for the entire journey.
“Honestly, I got close to telling the taxi driver to turn around and take us home - Fiona’s only safe place – as the stress was unbearable.
“But of course that self-pity pales into insignificance compared to what Fiona was going through.”
Martin said the whole situation has been “wretched” for both Fiona and her family.
He said: “She's still there, but day by day, we can see it slipping away. 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.”
Martin said he has made a conscious effort to avoid “slipping into a depression” while taking care of Fiona - who he has been married to since 1997.
He noted: “People do ask, ‘Are you ok?’ and I used to say, ‘It's not me, don’t worry about me,’ but I am conscious that I've never been a depressive person but I can slip into that.
“I don't want to give the impression she’s some sort of basket case as she’s very much with us. She still is the world’s most stubborn woman, and she’s still around the house.”
