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Fiona Phillips’ This Morning boss husband Martin Frizell ‘felt sick’ after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis aged 61-Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro
Martin said they both fell silent after recieving the diagnosis.
Martin Frizell has been supporting his wife Fiona Phillips since her diagnosis (Picture: Getty)
Fiona Phillips’ This Morning boss husband Martin Frizell has opened up about his shock at her Alzheimer’s diagnosis aged 61.
The former GMTV presenter revealed on Wednesday that she had been living with the progressive disease, which affects multiple brain functions, for a year.
The ex-Strictly Come Dancing star, 62, said she was diagnosed with the condition after months of brain fog and anxiety.
Her husband Martin, 64, with who she shares sons Nat, 24, and Mackenzie, 21, said he ‘just felt sick’ when doctors told Fiona she had Alzheimer’s.
The ITV editor added: ‘We both sat in silence. There was no funny line to make this go away. Nothing smart to say. Nothing.
‘And then the doctor said he’d leave us in the room alone for a bit to digest it all. We just looked at each other and said, “What are we going to do?”‘
Martin said they both fell silent when Fiona received the diagnosis (Picture: Getty)
Fiona continued to The Daily Mirror: ‘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. In fact, we’ve now become locals at the pub on the square by the hospital.’
The former Loose Woman also explained she initially hid her Alzheimer’s diagnosis from her two sons and had been reluctant to tell anyone out of the fear of people ‘putting labels’ on her.
It was only recently, ahead of her tell-all interview being published, that she agreed Nat and Mackenzie needed to know after most likely already having seen changes in her.
The couple have been together for years and share two children(Picture: REX/Shutterstock)
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‘I just didn’t want to make a big thing out of it where we all sit down as a family and announce we’ve got something to tell them,’ she told the publication.
‘And I was worried they might be embarrassed in front of their friends or treat me in a different way. And it’s not like I’m doing anything out of character.’
Martin added: ‘But there are episodes of forgetfulness and memory lapse.’
Fiona said she initially kept her diagnosis a secret from her sons (Picture: Getty)
‘But they’re not profound, they’re not ruining people’s lives,’ Fiona argued, to which Martin agreed.
Alzheimer’s runs in Fiona’s family, as she lost both her mum and dad to it, and other relatives.
‘My poor mum was crippled with it, then my dad, my grandparents, my uncle. It just keeps coming back for us,’ she said.
What is early-onset Alzheimer’s disease?
Early-onset Alzheimer’s is also known as young-onset dementia or younger-onset Alzheimer’s. It is the label given to anyone who receives a diagnosis before they turn 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 of young onset dementia.
It is thought at least five in every 100 people with Alzheimer’s are under 65, however the figure may be higher.
According to the NHS, the symptoms of Alzheimer’s can begin with usually minor memory problems, but can develop into:
confusion, disorientation and getting lost in familiar places
difficulty planning or making decisions
problems with speech and language
problems moving around without assistance or performing self-care tasks
personality changes, such as becoming aggressive, demanding and suspicious of others
hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there) and delusions (believing things that are untrue)
low mood or anxiety
Though she has kept the news private for 18 months, Phillips said she has decided to share her story to help end the stigma around Alzheimer’s.
‘There is still an issue with this disease that the public thinks of old people, bending over a stick, talking to themselves,’ she said.
‘But I’m still here, getting out and about, meeting friends for coffee, going for dinner with Martin and walking every day.’
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Since making her diagnosis public, there has been an outpouring of support for Fiona, including from fellow broadcasters Susanna Reid and Ed Balls, who praised her for being ‘very brave.’
Fiona is currently taking part in clinical trials at University College Hospital in London, which aim to revolutionise future treatment of Alzheimer’s.
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