Fiona Phillips’ husband gives emotional update on her Alzheimer’s battle
Martin Frizell appeared on Loose Women on Monday to give an update on his wife Fiona Phillips’ Alzheimer’s battle and revealed how they’re coping as a family
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Martin Frizell joined the Loose Women panel on Monday (4 August) to share an update on his wife Fiona Phillips‘ battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Joining Jane Moore, Janet Street-Porter, Kelly Brook, and Brenda Edwards on the ITV daytime show, Martin also discussed his and Fiona’s sons and her book Remember When: My Life with Alzheimer’s.
Martin, former editor of This Morning, shared how he and his sons, Mackenzie and Nathaniel, have been managing at home since Fiona was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2022.
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“They’re great. It’s almost like a tag team, we work and help out,” he told the panel. “I do mornings because they still sleep, and then I’ll probably do dinner. But no, we’re getting through. For the time being, we don’t need much more help.”
Martin confessed that they had previously enlisted the help of a carer, but Fiona wasn’t comfortable with the extra assistance, reports the Express.
“We did have someone in to help in the past, and we pretended it was a housekeeper to get her through, but Fiona saw through that. But, we’re getting through. Just like a lot of families. Thank you to everyone who has sent messages,” he added.
The Loose Women panel asked Martin what advice Fiona, known for presenting shows such as GMTV, would give to someone else battling Alzheimer’s.
He responded, “She would say, ‘Don’t give up’. She would say, because she hasn’t got one, ‘get yourself a hobby or a passion’ so that when you get to this stage, there are things that you can actually involve yourself with.”
Martin also spoke about his wife’s present condition, disclosing she is in a “much better place” than she had been previously, and he’s observed some “improvement” in her lately.
He mentioned that she’d been resting more soundly and had witnessed her appetite get better, whilst her bewilderment appeared to have lessened.
“That’s the type of anti-depressant she’s been prescribed, and this one is effective, as you have to try several before you find one that actually does the trick. So, this is genuinely helping. If anything, I believe she’s actually in a much better place than she was a few weeks ago,” he shared with the panel optimistically.
Fiona received her Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in 2022 at the age of 61, but chose not to make her condition public until the year after.
She then stepped back from public appearances, and her husband, Martin, subsequently revealed his departure from This Morning in November 2024, resulting in his official departure in February.
Loose Women broadcasts on weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV1.
