Fiona Phillips revealed that she and her husband were in “complete shock” when doctors diagnosed her with Alzheimer’s because they feared her brain fog symptoms were a sign of menopause.
Ms Phillips, 62, first experienced the onset of “crippling anxiety,” “confusion” and “brain fog,” she revealed, in late 2021. Due to the nature of her symptoms, the former GMTV host saw a menopausal specialist and underwent hormone replacement therapy.
Some of her symptoms improved, but the brain fog persisted. She was evaluated by other specialists, spent months on cognitive tests and finally received her dreaded diagnosis last year, which was confirmed by a spinal tap test.
“It was a shock…a total shock,” she said of the moment she and her husband, Martin Frizell, editor of TV’s This Morning, learned of the diagnosis.
“I just got sick. We both sat in silence. “There wasn’t a funny phrase to prevent that,” recalls Mr. Frizell, 64. “The doctor said he would leave us alone in the room for a while to digest everything. We just looked at each other and said, ‘Shit.’ What are we going to do?’
The couple then went for drinks at a nearby bar, where they are now regulars, and faced the task of “trying to live our lives as usual for now.” Ms Phillips is understood to be undergoing a potentially revolutionary trial of a new drug that it is hoped will slow or even reverse the disease in millions of people.
She is currently assisted by Mr. Frizell, whom she married in 1997. They are parents to Nat (24) and Mackenzie (21). Until now, the couple had not directly told their children that their mother had Alzheimer’s.
Fiona Phillips has revealed that she and husband Martin Frizell were in “complete shock” when doctors diagnosed her with Alzheimer’s because they feared her brain fog symptoms were a sign of menopause. The couple is pictured together in 2016
Ms Phillips originally experienced the onset of “crippling anxiety,” “confusion” and “brain fog” in late 2021. She saw a menopausal specialist and underwent hormone replacement therapy. Some of her symptoms improved, but the brain fog persisted. She appeared on GMTV in 1997 with presenter Eamonn Holmes
Ms Phillips was evaluated by other specialists, underwent months of cognitive testing and finally received her dreaded diagnosis last year, which was confirmed by a spinal tap test. She is pictured on Good Morning Britain in 2017
Ms Phillips told The Mirror last night that about a year ago she received news of the devastating dementia that both her parents died of after suffering months of brain fog and anxiety.
The former GMTV host said the diagnosis was “heartbreaking” and a “completely awful” secret to share.
Mr Frizell added: “Tragically, Fiona’s family has been affected.” [Alzheimer’s].’
The journalist has described her agony that comes with being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s after last night revealed her battle with the disease that has afflicted her family and vowed to keep fighting.
She said the disease was “something I thought I’d get when I was 80” but not what she expected to be diagnosed at just 61.
Ms Phillips said the diagnosis made her “madder than anything” because it had already impacted “my life in so many ways”.
“My poor mother was crippled by it, then my father, my grandparents, my uncle.” “It always comes back for us,” she shared. “This disease has afflicted my family and now it has come to me.” And across the country, there are people of all ages whose lives are being impacted – it’s heartbreaking.”
The former breakfast TV host insisted she is “still here” and hopes she can help find a cure “that might improve the situation for others in the future”.
Fiona Williams pictured with her father, Neville, who died of the disease in 2012
Her mother, Amy, also died of Alzheimer’s in 2006 after developing symptoms in her early 50s
Ms Phillips hosted GMTV for more than a decade before leaving the show (Pictured: Ms Phillips alongside Eamonn Holmes)
Fiona Phillips hid her Alzheimer’s diagnosis from her two sons, Nat and Mackenzie, for months because she “didn’t want to make anything big of it.” She and her boys are pictured with Frank Lampard during a Chelsea Football Club charity event in 2009
She’s now taking part in a drug trial, Miridesap, at University College Hospital in London – but with half the participants receiving a placebo, it’s impossible to know if she’s actually being given the drug.
Her husband said he believes her condition is “stabilizing” but admitted it could be “wishful thinking”.
Elsewhere, the family is trying to keep things as normal as possible. But the changes Ms Phillips is experiencing have resulted in significant changes in some ways.
She said she would no longer use transportation such as the subway because it would cause her too much anxiety. She cannot drive and also has brief memory lapses.
What is Alzheimer’s and how is it treated?
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative brain disease in which the buildup of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die.
This disrupts the transmitters that deliver messages and causes the brain to shrink.
The disease affects more than 5 million people in the US, where it is the sixth leading cause of death, and affects more than 1 million Britons.
WHAT HAPPENS?
When brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost.
These include memory, orientation, and the ability to think and reason.
The course of the disease is slow and insidious.
On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some live 10 to 15 years.
EARLY SYMPTOMS:
- loss of short-term memory
- disorientation
- behavior changes
- mood swings
- Difficulty handling money or using the phone
LATER SYMPTOMS:
- Severe memory loss, forgetting close family members, familiar objects or places
- Anxiety and frustration at an inability to understand the world, leading to aggressive behavior
- Eventually loses the ability to walk
- May have trouble eating
- The majority will eventually require 24-hour care
HOW IS IT TREATED?
There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
However, there are some treatments available that can help relieve some of the symptoms.
One of them is acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, which help brain cells to communicate with each other.
Another agent is menantine, which blocks a chemical called glutamate, which can build up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and inhibit mental function.
As the disease progresses, Alzheimer’s patients may exhibit aggressive behavior and/or become depressed. Medications may be given to relieve these symptoms.
Other non-pharmaceutical treatments such as mental training to improve memory that help combat this one aspect of Alzheimer’s disease are also recommended.
Source: Alzheimer’s Association and NHS
Ms Phillips has previously spoken out about the deaths of both her parents from Alzheimer’s.
Her father, Neville, died in February 2012, while her mother, Amy, died of the disease in May 2006.
Ms Phillips has spoken frequently about the disease and has campaigned for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Speaking on This Morning in 2016, she recounted how her mother first developed symptoms at the age of 53 before eventually dying at the age of 74.
Her father developed symptoms by the age of 60 and moved into an assisted living facility before being transferred to a psychiatric hospital shortly before his death at the age of 76.
Speaking about the moment she realized her mother had the disease, she said, “I noticed at Christmas that Mom has Alzheimer’s.” “She was really cold, there was no food in the house, she had put the Christmas tree up in November so that was very unusual.”
When her father realized what was going on, she opened up about his devastation: ‘Dad was upset and we didn’t know he had it too.’ Bizarre gifts, my brother had an orange women’s sweater.’
When his father was diagnosed six years later, it was after he was arrested by police for “irregular driving”.
Describing the impact on the family, she said, “You can’t do enough, I love my brother, but resentment builds, families are torn apart as a result … It can happen to anyone — my mom was only in her fifties.”
Ms Phillips has also previously spoken out about her fears that she too could get Alzheimer’s.
She said in 2017, “I need to come up with an action plan that can be applied if I ‘disappear’ … Of course I’m afraid of passing the disease on to my family and sometimes I wake up at night feeling anxious and worried about it.” .
“My parents were relatively young when they got it; “My mom was in her early 50s, although at the time we just put it down to her being eccentric.”
She also spoke about her parents’ demise, saying, ‘It was heartbreaking.’ The end is slow and undignified.’
And in 2019, she wrote a candid column in the same newspaper, sharing her guilt and sadness.
She wrote, ‘I feel like I never did enough for my mom and dad.’ I couldn’t.’
She added, “You can never do enough for a loved one with dementia.” It’s a cruel disease with no cure and the days never end.
“I’ll never feel like I’ve done enough.” That’s why tears often come to my eyes when someone tells me how lucky my parents were to have me. The guilt never goes away.’
Ms Phillips began her journalistic career as a reporter for local radio stations such as Radio Mercury and Sussex and County Sound in Surrey.
Her big break came when she joined GMTV as an entertainment correspondent in 1993 before being promoted to LA correspondent in December of that year.
She then hosted The Breakfast Show from 1997 to 2008 and was the main presenter every Monday through Wednesday.
Ms Phillips announced in 2008 that she was leaving the show for family reasons and presented her last show in December.
This happened after her mother died and after her father was also diagnosed with the disease.
After her father’s death, the journalist admitted she was “angry” at his care, even calling it “manslaughter.” His rapid decline made her wonder if the drugs had cost him years of his life.
She said at the time, “I’m so angry at the way my lovely father was treated in the end.” In his final weeks, he was so plagued by drugs that his poor body couldn’t handle it anymore.
“They took his laugh and then his smile, that’s all he had left and I’m absolutely furious about that.” Then they took his life.
“Maybe I’m selfish because he didn’t want to continue being dependent on others.”
“But that wasn’t a decision by the medical system on his behalf… Without these drugs, he could have been healthy and happy despite dementia.”
Fiona Phillips took part in the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing in 2005
Ms Phillips hopes the study she is participating in will help those who are diagnosed in the years to come
Treatment for dementia and Alzheimer’s has improved in recent years and Ms Phillips hopes the study she is participating in will help those who are diagnosed in the years to come.
Although she retired from her regular GMTV slot in 2008, Ms. Phillips has since made frequent appearances on the network, most notably guest-hosting Lorraine.
She has also appeared on Loose Women and reports for the BBC’s Watchdog.
She has been a regular columnist for the Daily Mirror for 20 years and previously spoke to the newspaper about her family’s medical history.
Her fans also know her from her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2005.
Ms Phillips is a long-time supporter of the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK. In 2013 she took the charity to the ICAP Charity Day and joined brokers on the trading floor to raise funds for vital dementia research.
In 2016 she appeared on This Morning to support the charity and in 2018 she spoke candidly about her family experience at the charity’s House of Lords reception to mark the 20th anniversary of Alzheimer’s Research UK’s first grant Dementia.
Hilary Evans, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We send our love and support to Fiona and her family after she revealed that she has Alzheimer’s.”
“It takes so much courage to go public with a diagnosis and Fiona knows better than most how much good that can do.” Awareness is vital and Fiona’s courage will help countless people going through their own dementia journey .
Journalist and broadcaster Fiona Phillips has revealed that she has Alzheimer’s at the age of just 62
“Fiona has been friends with Alzheimer’s Research UK for well over a decade and her support has provided a valuable spotlight on the importance of research in overcoming the diseases that cause dementia.”
“There are around 70,800 people in the UK with dementia who are under the age of 65 like Fiona and we are committed to finding a cure to end the distress she is causing.” And we are so grateful to Fiona, for supporting us in our mission.”
On hearing the news of Ms Phillips’ diagnosis, Kate Lee, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, added: “Our thoughts are with our Ambassador Fiona Phillips and her family following the news that she has dementia.”
“Fiona has spoken frequently about her parents’ experiences with dementia and her support of the Alzheimer’s Society has been extremely impactful and appreciated.
“The public release of such personal news is raising much-needed awareness about dementia and we are extremely grateful to Fiona.”
“We are here to offer our support to Fiona and her family, and anyone affected by dementia, through our website alzheimers.org.uk and the dementia support hotline on 0333 150 3456.”