Inside Fiona Phillips’ Life With Alzheimer’s as Husband Martin Frizell Describes a Moving Moment of Clarity

From red carpets and breakfast TV to moments of grief and quiet devotion, her life with Alzheimer's — and his experience caring for her — has unfolded largely out of public view. At the end of this article, the photographs tell that story for themselves.

When Fiona Phillips was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease in 2022, she was 61, still widely recognised as a familiar and trusted television presence, and far from the public image many associate with dementia.

However, the diagnosis marked the beginning of a slow, deeply personal unravelling that her husband, Martin Frizell, has since documented with unflinching honesty.

In the years that followed, Phillips' condition deteriorated steadily. By the summer of 2024, daily life had narrowed to routines built around safety, reassurance, and repetition.

That reality was laid bare in "Remember When," the book Phillips wrote with Frizell's help, offering readers a rare account of cognitive decline from the inside.

Her words described a mind increasingly out of reach, surrounded by memories she could sense but no longer fully access. The book struck a powerful chord.

Thousands of messages flooded in after publication, many from readers grappling with dementia in their own families. Among them was a long, deeply personal letter from Kate McCann.

In the letter, McCann described Phillips as "warm, bubbly, and capable" — qualities she believed would sustain her. Then, as Frizell read the letter aloud, something extraordinary happened.

Phillips remembered Madeleine McCann. Her eyes welled with tears as the Alzheimer's fog briefly lifted.

For a moment, she was again the GMTV presenter who had met the McCann family several times and had been the first to announce their daughter's disappearance on GMTV. Sadly, the clarity vanished almost immediately, but the impact lingered.

That moment has come to symbolise the cruel unpredictability of Alzheimer's. Frizell, now 67, has spoken openly about how difficult those fleeting glimpses can be, offering hope and heartbreak in equal measure.

Following the book's release, Phillips' condition worsened before reaching what Frizell described as a plateau. He recently added a new chapter, driven by a desire to ensure she is remembered as she was, not solely as she is now.

However, more recently, the challenges have intensified. Phillips has been living with constant, severe physical pain, a secondary medical complication that remained undiagnosed for months despite repeated scans and specialist appointments.

Eventually, a neuropsychiatrist provided a possible explanation. The specialist said anxiety linked to Alzheimer's could trigger intense memory episodes, as the brain searched for comfort in the past.

In Phillips' case, her most dominant recent memory involved excruciating pain experienced before an operation months earlier. The advice was simple but sobering — rest, sleep, and reduced stress.

As for Frizell, he remains Phillips' primary carer. Attempts to introduce professional help failed when she quickly realised what was happening. Their two sons provide support, but the day-to-day responsibility rests with him.

Once a regular on red carpets who loved make-up and looking immaculate, Phillips now needs help washing her hair and brushing her teeth. She also sleeps for much of the day. Frizell's constant, private concern now is how long he can continue caring for her at home.

Work offers limited respite. He runs a broadcasting outfit, producing a true-crime podcast he plans to take on tour, alongside a political podcast that keeps him connected to the news.

Frizell has also spoken about the wider implications of their experience. Alzheimer's kills more people annually than heart disease and strokes, yet receives far less research funding, with cancer attracting 13 times as much.

That imbalance helped prompt the launch of the Defeating Dementia campaign by the Daily Mail and the Alzheimer's Society. Meanwhile, public reaction to Phillips' story remains intense.

One person commented, "Having my morning coffee and reading this I'm weeping. Such a cruel cruel condition for those looking on and the person who is in torment. Wishing you nothing but strength and some kind of peace [sic]."

A second netizen echoed the same sentiment, typing, "Reading how her condition has deteriorated is so heartbreaking. It's a cruel disease. So glad that Fiona married a man who kept to his vows of 'in sickness and in health'. [sic] So sad."

Others focused on Frizell, as one person shared, "I have never been keen on Martin but he now has my utmost admiration and respect. I cannot imagine how painful it must be for him and his sons to see Fiona deteriorate like this. So sad."

"Utterly heartbreaking," someone else remarked, while a fifth netizen added, "I think it's one of the worst illnesses to endure.. it's just a slow death.. awful for family and the lack of dignity.. I feel so sorry for both of them [sic]."

Someone else reflected on how devastating it was that Phillips was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's at 61, noting how widely dementia affects families and how painful it is to watch loved ones slowly fade while clinging to fleeting glimpses of who they once were.

For Phillips and Frizell, those words reflect a daily reality shaped by love, exhaustion, fleeting moments of clarity, and a determination that her life will be remembered for far more than her illness.

Fiona Phillips and her husband, Martin Frizell, arrived at the 50th BAFTA Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, England, on April 19, 1998, photographed during a period when Phillips was a prominent television presenter and the couple were familiar figures on the red carpet, long before her Alzheimer's diagnosis reshaped their private lives.

Fiona Phillips was photographed on January 5, 1999, shown in a more intimate and relaxed setting during a period when she was at the peak of her television career, widely recognised by audiences across Britain and admired for the warmth, credibility, and familiarity she brought to morning television.

Fiona Phillips was photographed alongside Eamonn Holmes and Esther McVey on March 30, 1999, pictured inside a morning television studio during a period when Phillips was a leading face of breakfast TV, working closely with fellow presenters as part of a familiar on-screen team that helped shape British morning broadcasting at the time.

Fiona Phillips was pictured on the GMTV sofa in 1998 alongside a new co-host, her husband and reporter Martin Frizell, captured during a light-hearted on-air moment that reflected her ease in the studio and the rare crossover between their professional lives at a time when both were active figures in television journalism.

In a second shot from the same 1998 broadcast, Fiona Phillips was photographed once more on the GMTV sofa with her husband and reporter Martin Frizell, continuing the light-hearted exchange seen moments earlier, with the image capturing a more animated moment that reinforced their ease together on live morning television.

Fiona Phillips attended the wedding of Kate Garraway to Derek Draper with her husband, Martin Frizell, at St Mary's-the-Virgin in Primrose Hill, North London, on September 10, 2005, photographed arriving together as a well-known television couple during a period when Phillips remained a prominent and familiar presence on British morning television.

Fiona Phillips attended the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards with her husband, Martin Frizell, in London, England, on October 31, 2016, photographed together at a high-profile charity event during a period when Phillips had stepped back from daily television but remained a recognisable and respected public figure.

Fiona Phillips and her husband, Martin Frizell, attended the funeral of Derek Draper at St Mary the Virgin Church in London, England, on February 2, 2024, photographed holding hands as they arrived together for the service, an image that reflected both personal grief and the quiet support between the couple during a sombre public moment.