Latest news with #RememberWhen
The Irish Sun
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Fiona Phillips makes very rare appearance amid Alzheimer's battle after husband opened up on devastating condition
FIONA Phillips has made a rare public appearance after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The popular TV star, 64, appeared in a brief Instagram video shared by her husband Martin Frizell, 66, to thank fans for reading their new book, Remember When. 4 Fiona Phillips thanks fans for reading her new book Credit: instagram/@martinfrizell1 4 She is rarely seen in public after her Alzheimer's diagnosis Credit: instagram/@martinfrizell1 Looking in good spirits as she ate an ice cream in a London park, Fiona said: "Hello, thank you for reading my book. It's really good of you. Hope you like it. OK. Bye." Davina McCall commented: "Oh Fiona!!! So great to see your face ! We've missed you !e and Michael and sending you huge love !!!" Anna Williamson said: "Sending Fiona so much love. She really looked out for me in my GMTV days, my telly mum and I will never forget how she comforted me when I was going through a tough time in my relationship." Norfolk to do my first interview after I was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2008. More than just a colleague… A truly kind, talented and beautiful person!" READ MORE ON FIONA PHILLIPS Fiona was In her new book, Martin heartbreakingly He told how Fiona became distressed when she asked 'who the man was in the kitchen'. In an extract published in Most read in Celebrity He added: "She became terribly distressed. 'Who's that man in the kitchen?' she asked me. 'That's Nat', I said gently. 'Our son. He's home for the weekend'." Martin went on: "She was in such a state that she didn't even seem upset that she had asked the question." Fiona Phillips' husband Martin Frizell gives devastating update on her Alzheimer's battle as he appears on This Morning He then said that Nat would have been "devastated" to hear his mother was unable to recognise him. Last week, former This Morning editor Martin returned to the show to discuss the book, but He told hosts Angry over the lack of coverage given to the condition, which is the biggest killer in the UK, Martin's initial plan to write a few paragraphs soon became 24,000 words. He said: " "I just get very angry no one talks about it. We become invisible with Alzheimer's, no one wants to talk about it." Opening up about Fiona's current condition, Martin said: "She's got anxiety, she's got a secondary problem that causes her to be in a lot of pain, which adds to the confusion." Tragically, he told how Fiona thought he had kidnapped her just weeks ago as they posed for a photograph outside he family home. Martin said she suffers from delusions, though does still recognise him, even if she isn't aware of their marital status. n a candid moment of self-reflection, Martin admitted he wasn't Mother Teresa and was He accepted some of his work is provocative as he said: "I wish she got cancer, at least there would have been some hope. It's not a sexy disease, the pictures aren't great, on your deathbed you look bloody awful." Fiona, whose late mum and dad both had Alzheimer's, left GMTV in December 2008 to spend more time with her family. She took on small jobs such as a stint on Strictly Come Dancing in 2005 and presenting a Channel 4 documentary titled Mum, Dad, Alzheimer's And Me in 2009. But She was also starting to struggle with mood swings, erratic behaviour and an inability to complete everyday tasks, such as going to the bank. Things came to a head with Martin in 2021 and he moved out of the family home, accusing her of 'zoning out' of their marriage. After three weeks apart, the couple met at a hotel and agreed they wanted to stay together — but that things had to change. Fiona had initially suspected the But by then, Fiona was wondering if her symptoms were down to menopause. Martin urged her to talk to telly doctor Dr Louise Newson, who specialised in the menopause and recommended a course of hormone replacement therapy. But after several months of seeing little change, Dr Newson recommended she be properly assessed. In 2022, a consultant broke the heartbreaking news to the couple that Fiona, then 61, had early onset Alzheimer's. 4 Fiona Phillips was distressed after she failed to recognise her own son Credit: Getty 4 Martin write about his wife's Alzheimer's battle in her new book Credit: Getty Other major Alzheimer's breakthroughs While experts have warned that dementia diagnoses in England have reached record numbers, there have been a number of recent advances against brain robbing diseases. From "game-changing" drugs gaining approval to blood tests that can spot the condition years before symptoms, here are other major Alzheimer's breakthroughs. A "game-changing" Alzheimer's drug called A blood test that detects Alzheimer's up to 15 years before symptoms emerge is set to be made Researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind test that could predict dementia Scientists have also put AI to the test, developing machine learning models were able to spot early warning signs of the memory-robbing condition A woman who has evaded Alzheimer's disease despite half her relatives getting it could
Scottish Sun
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Fiona Phillips makes very rare appearance amid Alzheimer's battle after husband opened up on devastating condition
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FIONA Phillips has made a rare public appearance after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The popular TV star, 64, appeared in a brief Instagram video shared by her husband Martin Frizell, 66, to thank fans for reading their new book, Remember When. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Fiona Phillips thanks fans for reading her new book Credit: instagram/@martinfrizell1 4 She is rarely seen in public after her Alzheimer's diagnosis Credit: instagram/@martinfrizell1 Looking in good spirits as she ate an ice cream in a London park, Fiona said: "Hello, thank you for reading my book. It's really good of you. Hope you like it. OK. Bye." Davina McCall commented: "Oh Fiona!!! So great to see your face ! We've missed you !e and Michael and sending you huge love !!!" Anna Williamson said: "Sending Fiona so much love. She really looked out for me in my GMTV days, my telly mum and I will never forget how she comforted me when I was going through a tough time in my relationship." Trisha Goddard wrote: "Sending you lots of love, Fiona. You were so kind to me when you came up to my house in Norfolk to do my first interview after I was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2008. More than just a colleague… A truly kind, talented and beautiful person!" Fiona was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's in 2022 and her condition has deteriorated since. In her new book, Martin heartbreakingly reveals how she failed to recognise her eldest son Nat, 24. He told how Fiona became distressed when she asked 'who the man was in the kitchen'. In an extract published in The Mirror, Martin wrote: "One weekend, Nat was home from the Army and making tea in the kitchen while Fiona and I sat watching television." He added: "She became terribly distressed. 'Who's that man in the kitchen?' she asked me. 'That's Nat', I said gently. 'Our son. He's home for the weekend'." Martin went on: "She was in such a state that she didn't even seem upset that she had asked the question." Fiona Phillips' husband Martin Frizell gives devastating update on her Alzheimer's battle as he appears on This Morning He then said that Nat would have been "devastated" to hear his mother was unable to recognise him. Last week, former This Morning editor Martin returned to the show to discuss the book, but Fiona wasn't well enough to join him. He told hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary: "She's got bad depression because she wants to work, she's not well enough today to come and talk to you." Angry over the lack of coverage given to the condition, which is the biggest killer in the UK, Martin's initial plan to write a few paragraphs soon became 24,000 words. He said: "It started off when we knew it was Alzheimer's. It was to give her a purpose, to give her something to do. This is a bubbly smart, fearless woman, very modern woman and all of a sudden it stops. "I just get very angry no one talks about it. We become invisible with Alzheimer's, no one wants to talk about it." Opening up about Fiona's current condition, Martin said: "She's got anxiety, she's got a secondary problem that causes her to be in a lot of pain, which adds to the confusion." Tragically, he told how Fiona thought he had kidnapped her just weeks ago as they posed for a photograph outside he family home. Martin said she suffers from delusions, though does still recognise him, even if she isn't aware of their marital status. n a candid moment of self-reflection, Martin admitted he wasn't Mother Teresa and was prone to getting frustrated, which sometimes leads to arguments. He accepted some of his work is provocative as he said: "I wish she got cancer, at least there would have been some hope. It's not a sexy disease, the pictures aren't great, on your deathbed you look bloody awful." Fiona, whose late mum and dad both had Alzheimer's, left GMTV in December 2008 to spend more time with her family. She took on small jobs such as a stint on Strictly Come Dancing in 2005 and presenting a Channel 4 documentary titled Mum, Dad, Alzheimer's And Me in 2009. But Fiona admitted she never felt 'completely right' and became 'disconnected' from her family. She was also starting to struggle with mood swings, erratic behaviour and an inability to complete everyday tasks, such as going to the bank. Things came to a head with Martin in 2021 and he moved out of the family home, accusing her of 'zoning out' of their marriage. After three weeks apart, the couple met at a hotel and agreed they wanted to stay together — but that things had to change. Fiona had initially suspected the exhaustion, anxiety and brain fog she had been battling was a side-effect of Long Covid. She contracted the virus in 2020. But by then, Fiona was wondering if her symptoms were down to menopause. Martin urged her to talk to telly doctor Dr Louise Newson, who specialised in the menopause and recommended a course of hormone replacement therapy. But after several months of seeing little change, Dr Newson recommended she be properly assessed. In 2022, a consultant broke the heartbreaking news to the couple that Fiona, then 61, had early onset Alzheimer's. 4 Fiona Phillips was distressed after she failed to recognise her own son Credit: Getty 4 Martin write about his wife's Alzheimer's battle in her new book Credit: Getty
Daily Record
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Fiona Phillips' husband advises against saying one thing to Alzheimer's patients
Fiona Phillips' husband Martin Frizell has been his wife's full-time carer since her Alzheimer's diagnosis. Fiona Phillips' life was irrevocably altered following her diagnosis with early-onset Alzheimer's, but the impact has rippled through her entire family as they adapt to their new reality. Her husband, Martin Frizell, 66, opened up about feeling "isolated" and left to fend for themselves in coping with the situation. After three years of witnessing his wife's struggle with the condition, Martin has become an informal expert, learning how to manage daily challenges for the benefit of his loved ones. The ex-This Morning chief shared a crucial insight he's gained: Never say no. He believes it's more beneficial to go along with the delusions than to contradict them and cause further upset. This approach is something he picked up from extensive reading on the topic. Although he confesses it's not always easy to implement, he's been adhering to this strategy, particularly after Fiona became convinced that Martin was a kidnapper holding her captive. Now, when she's extremely agitated, he humours her by pretending to take her back to her deceased parents, when in fact they're merely circling the block. It may seem illogical, but he's found that it's the most compassionate way to handle such episodes, reports the Mirror. However, it's not without its difficulties. Martin recalls a heart-wrenching moment when Fiona looked at him and said the words he had feared the most: "You're not my husband". In Fiona's latest book, Remember When, Martin shares: "The experts say you are not supposed to challenge someone with Alzheimer's when they're saying things that are completely wrong, but it's very difficult when you are in that moment and you are just desperately hoping you might be able to get through to them. "What am I supposed to say when she says: 'You're not my husband!'?" Despite the challenges, Martin tries to maintain his approach. He continues: "Obviously it's not nice [when she says it] – but I don't feel hurt by it because I know that isn't Fiona talking: it's the illness that has taken her mind." Recent incidents involving fears of abduction have led to some of the most intense 'role-playing' yet. Martin says sometimes Fiona becomes so distressed he has to act as if they are leaving the house for a prisoner swap or ransom exchange at her parents' place. Their sons Nathaniel, 26, and Mackenzie, 23, are also drawn into these scenarios. "The textbooks say to never argue with a dementia patient, although even without the illness you could never win an argument with Fiona, so we play along," Martin explained. Martin feigns guiding her back to her parents, whom she believes are looking for her. Both of her parents suffered from Alzheimer's. Her mother passed away in 2006, and her father was diagnosed soon after and died in 2012. "Fiona and I leave the house as if I am taking her home," Martin shares. "We walk around the block as she loudly proclaims, 'I'll never forgive you for tricking me,' and passers-by stare; then we are back home again, where she goes in and greets Mackenzie as if she hasn't seen him for days. She has forgotten about her mum and dad and is happy to sit down." However, Martin, who left his role at ITV to dedicate more time to his wife of 28 years, also aims to offer comfort to others in similar situations, emphasising the importance of trusting one's own judgement. Despite his background in journalism leading him to extensively research the topic and heed expert advice, he maintains that partners must act on what feels right in the moment. "It feels as though I have read a million books and online articles about how best to cope with a partner with Alzheimer's," he reflected. Some of the advice I agree with – but other bits I'm not so sure about. I think you just have to trust your instinct and deal with whatever is thrown at you as best you can in that moment. "By trying to live up to being the perfect Alzheimer's partner, you are just heaping even more pressure on yourself when there is already so much. And every day is different." The day after Fiona's admission that he wasn't her husband, she seemed to rally, displaying glimpses of her once sharp wit. He concedes that at 64, Fiona lives solely "in the present" finding it challenging to engage in conversation as her memory often fails her and she can't recall events from "30 seconds or five minutes" prior. Remember When... graces bookshops this week. The progression of Fiona's condition is evident to readers, from the initial chapters penned over a year ago to the second-to-last update provided by Martin. He ensures, however, that Fiona has the concluding say, even though he had to jog her memory about the book for her to write the final chapter. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Daily Mirror
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Fiona Phillips' husband reveals the ONE thing you should never say to someone with Alzheimer's
Former This Morning boss Martin Frizell has been taking things a day at a time since his wife Fiona Phillips was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. But there's one kind act he believes we should can all do for those with dementia Fiona Phillips may have had her life for ever changed by her early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis - but she's not the only one whose future has never been the same since. For her family have also been having to learn how to adjust as they go - as her husband Martin Frizell explains they felt "isolated" and left to their own devices. After three years of watching the disease affect his beloved wife, Martin, 66, has now become somewhat of a self-taught expert - or at least he knows how to best handle it day to day for the sake of his family. And for the former This Morning boss, there's one major lesson he's learned: Never say no. Whatever the person says to you, it's better to improvise with the delusion than cause them to extra distress by arguing against it. It's something he learned during his hours of reading on the subject. And while he admits he can't always pout it into practice, he has been sticking to it recently after Fiona became obsessed with the belief Martin was a kidnapper holding her hostage. Now, every time she becomes particularly distressed, he plays along, pretending he's taking her back home to her late parents - when really they are just walking round the block. While it may seem counterintuitive, he's learned it's the kindest response. READ MORE: Fiona Phillips' heart-wrenching health update - as husband reveals bitter irony Not, of course, that it's always easy. Martin found it especially hard when Fiona turned round to him one day and said the words he had been dreading; "You're not my husband". In one of the final chapters of Fiona's new book Remember When, Martin writes: "The experts say you are not supposed to challenge someone with Alzheimer's when they're saying things that are completely wrong, but it's very difficult when you are in that moment and you are just desperately hoping you might be able to get through to them. What am I supposed to say when she says: 'You're not my husband!'?" But Martin tries to stick to his coping mechanism. He adds: "Obviously it's not nice [when she says it] – but I don't feel hurt by it because I know that isn't Fiona talking: it's the illness that has taken her mind." The recent kidnap fears have led to the most extreme 'role-playing' so far. Martin explains that sometimes Fiona, a former Daily Mirror columnist, is so perturbed he has to take her out the house and pretend they are heading to her parents' home for a prisoner swap or ransom exchange. Their sons Nathaniel, 26, and Mackenzie, 23, also have to play along. "The textbooks say to never argue with a dementia patient, although even without the illness you could never win an argument with Fiona, so we play along," says Martin. "Sometimes Mackenzie has to fetch her electric-blue Whistles coat – one of the very few items of clothing this once-stylish woman now insists on wearing, despite having a room full of outfits – and then Fiona and I leave the house as if I am taking her home." Martin pretends he's walking her back to her parents, who she insists are searching for her. Both her parents also had Alzheimer's. Her mother, Amy, passed away in 2006, and her father, Neville, was diagnosed shortly after and died in 2012. "Fiona and I leave the house as if I am taking her home," explains Martin. "We walk around the block as she loudly proclaims, 'I'll never forgive you for tricking me,' and passers-by stare; then we are back home again, where she goes in and greets Mackenzie as if she hasn't seen him for days. She has forgotten about her mum and dad and is happy to sit down." But Martin, who quit his ITV job to spend more time with his wife-of-28-years also wants to reassure others in his position that the most important thing they can do is to follow their own instincts. For while, as a journalist, he's naturally spent hours studying the subject in books and listening to experts, he also believes spouses just have to do what feels right at the time - to them. He says: "It feels as though I have read a million books and online articles about how best to cope with a partner with Alzheimer's. Some of the advice I agree with – but other bits I'm not so sure about. I think you just have to trust your instinct and deal with whatever is thrown at you as best you can in that moment. By trying to live up to being the perfect Alzheimer's partner, you are just heaping even more pressure on yourself when there is already so much. And every day is different." Indeed the day after Fiona told him he wasn't her husband, she was back on better form, showing signs of her former witty self. He admits Fiona, 64, is now existing only "in the present" and even struggles to hold a conversation - a skill which was the core of dazzling TV career - as she will often struggle to remember "30 seconds or five minutes" ago. It's a poignant revelation as Fiona's new book Remember When.... hits shelves this week. Readers are able to see how Fiona's condition changes from the early chapters she started more than a year ago, to the penultimate chapter where Martin gives his update. He insists Fiona however has the last word and had to remind her about the book so she could do the final chapter. He writes: "I'd like to tell you Fiona is content in the situation into which she has been forced. But that wouldn't be the truth. She isn't – she is frustrated every single day. And depressed." He adds: "She constantly says she wants to work, but she knows deep down that she can't. She knows she cannot hold a conversation and she forgets what she wants to tell people. She will give up and crumple. She tries to fight it, but it's too hard." There's one thing that does make Fiona her former happy self - listening to The Stylistics - her favourite band from when she was a teenager. "Every day, several times a day, she'll say, 'Hey Google, play The Stylistics,'," recalls Martin in the new book. "She begins to sing, word perfect and I stroke her hair as she says, 'Please don't leave me.'" Martin is adamant he will not sugarcoat what is happening and pretend there is any relief. He's found fewer and fewer friends have kept in touch and says the invites have all but stopped. He knows Fiona can't go to a dinner party or one of the swanky events they used to attend as a TV power couple, yet says: "But sometimes it would be nice to be asked." Fiona was just 61 when she was diagnosed in early 2022. In an early chapter of her new - and probably last - book, she poignantly reveals her fear that she'll forget the little everyday moments she shares with her sons. Speaking of her desire to be her former self, she wrote: 'I want to watch Chelsea beat Arsenal 3–0 at home. I want our son Nat to come home on leave from the Army and give me one of his bear-like hugs. I want our youngest son Mackenzie to bring me a cup of tea and a biscuit when we sit watching TV together. I want to be me.' Sadly - as Fiona knew while penning those words - those moments are only going to become harder and harder to have. She bravely chose to share the news of her debilitating and devastating illness in a series of exclusive interviews for The Mirror in July 2023. In the three-day series, she admitted she had spent years trying to convince herself her low mood and brain fog was caused by something else. - first, long covid and then the menopause.
Daily Mirror
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Tragic Fiona Phillips health update told by husband of GMTV star
Fiona Phillips wanted her book to inspire and encourage others with early-onset Alzheimer's - now as it's about to hit shelves her mission has been tainted with a tragic irony Fiona Phillips is set to help and inspire thousands of people after bravely opening up about her battle with early-onset Alzheimer's in her new book. But, according to her husband Martin Frizell, there's one poignant tragedy behind the long-awaited release: She no longer remembers writing it. The former Mirror Columnist and GMTV host was diagnosed aged 61 in early 2022 and has spent the the past year writing her memoir to help others going through the same ordeal feel less alone - and to inspire a greater understanding of what it is like and why more research is needed. Fiona, 64, had movingly written about her fears for the future in earlier chapters of the book, admitting she sometimes feels a thought slipping away and tries "chasing it like a £5 note that has fallen out of your purse on a gusty day. " By the penultimate chapter Martin, 66, reveals she has deteriorated significantly and cannot hold write anymore. In fact she has no idea that she has even written the book, or that is being released on Thursday and sometimes still believes no one knows about her illness. Martin writes in Remember Whe n - which comes off embargo today - about the poignancy of missing a woman who is still there, but not at the same time. "Im afraid Fiona no longer remembers that she is writing this book," he says. "She is no longer the independent woman I fell in love with, but sometimes she is as stubborn as she has always been," he writes. "Part of her is still the Fiona she told you about in the early chapters of this book, but much of her now is not. I miss her. I miss my wife." Martin is so proud of what she's done to raise awareness since first going public with news of her diagnosis in a series of exclusive interviews for The Mirror in July 2023. Just like the spike in discussions about early-onset Alzheimer's around the release of the book , there was another swell of public awareness at the time of her Mirror pieces. Even so Martin reveals that a lot of the time Fiona still believes people have no idea she is ill. He says: "Fiona doesn't seem to acknowledge that people know she is unwell. She has done so much to raise awareness of this issue and yet now forgets she has done so. In one way that seems very sad, but in another, maybe that's just Fiona at her most fantastically independent and stubborn – still insisting she doesn't need people knowing her business, she doesn't need their help and definitely doesn't want their pity." Both Fiona's parents and several close family members had suffered badly with the disease. Her parents were affected in very different, but equally disturbing ways. Doctors explained it hadn't been inherited from her parents as such, but they had passed down other genetic traits made her more 'predisposed', or rather more susceptible to get it. Fortunately Martin and Fiona discovered their boys, Nathaniel, 26, and Mackenzie, 23, were not at the same increased risk. That doesn't mean it's been any easier for them to watch what they mum, the one-time vibrant and confident GMTV star, was going through. 'It's tough for them. They see their mum like this and it's very upsetting,' says Martin. 'But what choice do we have but to keep on going?' Former Mirror columnist Fiona isn't doing any interviews around her book and Martin is keen to let her words speak for themselves. In an early chapter, she poignantly reveals how she's worried about forgetting the little everyday moments she shares with her sons. Speaking of her desire to be her former self, she wrote: 'I want to watch Chelsea beat Arsenal 3–0 at home. I want our son Nat to come home on leave from the Army and give me one of his bear-like hugs. I want our youngest son Mackenzie to bring me a cup of tea and a biscuit when we sit watching TV together. I want to be me.' Sadly - as Fiona knew when penning those words - it's only going to get harder and harder. She admitted how she had spent years trying to convince herself her low mood and brain fog was caused by something else - first, long covid and then the menopause. It was actually a menopause specialist who was ultimately the one to suggest they consult a neurologist.
