Fiona Phillips’ husband, Martin Frizell, has revealed the most heartbreaking moment yet in the beloved broadcaster’s battle with Alzheimer’s – the day she no longer recognised their son.
In a raw and emotional extract from Fiona’s upcoming memoir Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer’s, Martin recalls how Fiona, 64, became “terribly distressed” after seeing their eldest son Nat in the kitchen – but had no idea who he was. “‘Who’s that man in the kitchen?’ she asked me,” Martin wrote. “‘That’s Nat,’ I said gently. ‘Our son. He’s home for the weekend.’” She wasn’t even upset at the realisation. “She was in such a state, she didn’t even seem upset that she had asked the question,” Martin explained.
Nat, who was home from the Army, never found out about the incident, but Martin admitted he would have been “devastated.”
Diagnosed in 2022 at just 61, Fiona’s condition has deeply shaken the family. Martin and Fiona feared at first that the illness was genetic and could affect their sons, Nathaniel, 26, and Mackenzie, 23. “We did tackle one fear,” Martin said, describing how they went through genetic testing to check if Fiona carried the Alzheimer’s gene. Fortunately, the result was negative – a relief that their sons wouldn’t inherit the disease. But the doctor still said Fiona was “predisposed” to it, a term Martin admits he still finds hard to understand.
As Fiona’s memory deteriorates, Martin says he and the boys are now experiencing a “living grief” – slowly saying goodbye to the “glittering star” they once knew. “Bit by bit, Alzheimer’s takes everything,” he wrote. “Even the most glamorous, glittering star – such as Fiona was – will be wiped away.”
Martin also opened up about the toll Fiona’s condition has taken on their marriage, especially before her diagnosis. Fiona admitted she became “more and more disconnected” from her husband and children, at one point yelling during an argument, “I’m just worn out. I’m tired – of everything.” Martin eventually told her he was moving out. “Maybe this – our marriage – is what’s making you so tired,” he told her.
The couple, who married in Las Vegas in 1997, now face a very different life together. Martin, who recently stepped down as editor of ITV’s This Morning, has taken on full-time care duties. Fiona now needs help with almost everything – from brushing her teeth to washing her hair. “She physically can do things, but she doesn’t know how to anymore,” Martin explained. “I make her feel as safe as possible.”
