Fiona Phillips' husband issues emotional Alzheimer's update 'we can see her slipping away'

Fiona Phillips' husband Martin Frizell has given a poignant update on his wife's condition following her diagnosis with young-onset Alzheimer's. The former GMTV presenter received the diagnosis in early 2022 when she was 61.

Speaking on Lorraine today (Wednesday, February 11), Martin, who previously served as the editor of This Morning, discussed his wife's situation, emphasising that he doesn't want people to perceive her as a "basket case".

He shared: "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. 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... Day by day, we can see her slipping away."

Martin also spoke about the importance of taking time for himself. "I used to say it's not me that needs to be asked if I'm ok, it's not me that has the diagnosis. I've gone back to broadcasting, doing stuff ourselves and podcasting," he said, reports the Mirror.

"I can free myself up for eight days in April - I haven't been away from home for more than three days in two years. I feel guilty being here and not with her," he confessed, while revealing his plans to embark on a tour with his crime podcast.

Martin revealed that everyday activities like leaving the house have become increasingly challenging as Fiona's condition deteriorates. He previously explained: "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."

Fiona was a familiar face on GMTV from 1993 to 2008, and throughout her distinguished career presented numerous documentaries and Panorama programmes. She also wrote a column for The Mirror.

The couple's experience with Fiona's diagnosis has been chronicled in a book, which has been updated as their journey unfolds. Martin had initially intended to write "a few paragraphs" but ultimately produced "24,000 words".

"I started off writing about what a great woman she is and just how horrible it is and dreadfully unlucky that she is the latest in the long line of her family to get it," he said.

"Then I just got very angry as to what little support there is. As a family, we just kind of get through it and at some point we will need more support, but there's just nothing really."

In the book, Fiona, with Martin's assistance, poignantly penned her recollections. She expressed: "Everywhere I look there are memories. I know they are there. Yet, so many of them feel out of reach now.

"It's like I reach out to touch them but then just as I am about to grasp it, the memory skips away from me. And I can't catch up with it. Like trying to chase a £5 note on a gusty day."

Lorraine airs weekdays on ITV1 at 9.30am

More information about Alzheimer's can be found on the Alzheimer's Society website