Fiona Phillips' husband Martin Frizell reveals they were 'barely talking' and 'living separate lives' before her heartbreaking Alzheimer's diagnosis
The former GMTV host, 64, was diagnosed with the progressive brain disorder in 2022, aged just 61.
Now, in her candid new memoir, Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer's, published on Thursday, Martin, 66, shared how the couple struggled in the years leading up to her diagnosis.
Speaking about the difficult period that began around 2015, Martin recalled: 'Nothing I could say seemed to help.
He continued: 'And I guess like in any relationship, the whole thing spirals. Because I felt she was being moody and critical of everything I said and did, I shut down too.
'We were barely talking and while we were still in the same house we were living quite separate lives.
'If we were both at home in the evenings, there would be long silences. After years of being able to chat about anything and everything, we'd run out of things to talk about.
'The long silences can't have been enjoyable for her either, but that was where we had got to.'
Martin admitted he never suspected the early signs of Alzheimer's, saying: 'I didn't think for one moment that it was the menopause or, perish the thought, Alzheimer's.
'I just thought we had hit the wall that so many marriages do as the kids get older – ours were now well into their teens – and maybe as a couple we had just run our course.'
Earlier this month, the Mail published exclusive extracts from Fiona's memoir, Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer's.
In the memoir, the pair - who wed in 1997 and share two children - revealed their marriage was 'falling apart' as a result of Fiona's then undiagnosed battle with the disease.
Fiona explained: 'My marriage was coming under increasing strain.
'I'm sure the disease was at least partly responsible, but at the time neither of us could see it. I just became more and more disconnected from Martin and the boys.
'"You've totally zoned out of our family and our marriage," he would say to me. "Don't be so bloody ridiculous!" I'd yell back.
'But, if I'm honest, I think he was right. I just didn't seem to have the energy for any of it any more.
'I didn't realise quite how seriously Martin felt about it all until one evening he announced he was moving out.
'"Stop being so ridiculous!'" I yelled. "I'm just worn out. I'm tired – of everything."
'"That's what you've been saying for years,'" he replied. "Maybe this – our marriage – is what's making you so tired."'
Fiona first met Martin when she was working on GMTV as a presenter and he was its chief correspondent.
He later popped the question after they had been dating for just four weeks, before they went to Las Vegas to tie the knot in 1997.
Last year, he revealed he was stepping down as editor of ITV's This Morning after 10 years in charge, in order to be 'around much more' for his wife during her Alzheimer's battle.
Having turned his back on his prolific job, in his own candid words, Martin revealed Fiona now needs 'a lot of help', with his care extending to showering Fiona, brushing her teeth, dressing her and ultimately 'making her feel as safe as possible'.
He explained: '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.'
He detailed how he knows he cannot fight her protestations for fear of illness, saying: '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.'
While Fiona can put her clothes on, she does not do so correctly, meaning Martin must also assist with this task, among others.
He writes: '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.'
Martin confessed in the memoir that he 'wishes' Fiona had been diagnosed with cancer rather than Alzheimer's.
Detailing his thoughts on Fiona's diagnosis, he admitted: 'Being brutally honest, I wish Fiona had contracted cancer instead.
'It's a shocking thing to say, but at least then she might have had a chance of a cure, and certainly would have had a treatment pathway and an array of support and care packages. But that's not there for Alzheimer's.
'Just like there are no funny or inspiring TikTok videos or fashion shoots with smiling, healthy, in-remission survivors.
'After someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, they are pretty much left to their own devices. There is nothing more that can be done and you are left to cope alone.
'Bit by bit, it takes everything. Through time, even the most glamorous, glittering star – such as Fiona was – will be wiped away.
'As time has passed, I have come to understand that if I were to fall ill or worse, the whole house of cards would collapse. I have had to stay well for Fiona.'
Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer's, by Fiona Phillips, is out now.
What is Alzheimer's?
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, in which build-up of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die.
This disrupts the transmitters that carry messages, and causes the brain to shrink.
More than 5 million people suffer from the disease in the US, where it is the 6th leading cause of death, and more than 1 million Britons have it.
WHAT HAPPENS?
As brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost.
That includes memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason.
The progress of the disease is slow and gradual.
On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some may live for ten to 15 years.
EARLY SYMPTOMS:
Loss of short-term memory
Disorientation
Behavioral changes
Mood swings
Difficulties dealing with money or making a phone call
LATER SYMPTOMS:
Severe memory loss, forgetting close family members, familiar objects or places
Becoming anxious and frustrated over inability to make sense of the world, leading to aggressive behavior
Eventually lose ability to walk
May have problems eating
The majority will eventually need 24-hour care
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