Fiona Phillips seen in rare snap as husband gives update amid her Alzheimer’s battle
Former GMTV star Fiona Phillips smiled in a rare post on social media as her husband Martin Frizell gave fans an update on his wife amid her battle with Alzheimer’s four years after her diagnosis.
Fiona Phillips seen in rare snaps as husband gives update amid her health battle(Image: Getty Images Europe)
Fiona Phillips was seen smiling as she walked through a park in a rare post on social media. This came as her husband, Martin Frizell thanked fans for asking about her health following her Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
The 65-year-old former GMTV star was diagnosed with the disease four years ago. Alzheimer’s is a progressive and incurable brain disorder that affects memory, thinking and behaviour. Since Fiona’s diagnosis, Martin has been campaigning for an improved government policy on support for people living with Alzheimer’s and their families.
Martin, who worked for ITV until he quit in 2024 to care for his wife full time, posted a picture to Instagram in which Fiona was enjoying a white chocolate Magnum as she walked in the park. In the caption, he shared that he was often asked about Fiona, particularly when he traveled to Scotland on tour with his This Much Is True Crime podcast.
He said: “Very touched by many nice comments from folk asking about Fiona whilst I’m on our short Tartan Noir Scottish tour so here’s a picture of what she’s up to in my absence – she’s changed Magnum flavours!
“This was Fiona out in the London sunshine this week and Almond has been replaced by the white chocolate version. Simple pleasures but a highlight of the day.”
Fans of the couple hopped in the comments to wish them well. One wrote that it was “wonderful to see Fiona out and about” and praised Martin as an “amazing husband”.
Another said: “So lovely to see Fiona enjoying the sunshine, her the book was so moving.” A third added: “Lovely photograph of Fiona enjoying the sunshine.”
Recently, Martin went on Lorraine to share how “wretched” the effects of Fiona’s battle with Alzheimer’s were. He told the host that he had struggled with “slipping into a depression” whilst caring for Fiona, as he could see her “slip away”.
He added that his wife doesn’t remember Valentine’s Day or Christmas any more. He continued: “She’s still there, but day by day, we can see it slipping away – and just to sit there and see this person who was, as you know was the most dynamic, bubbly, and had so much pride in how she dressed and what she did – it’s just a loss of dignity…”
Martin also revealed that people would ask him if he was okay and that he used to tell them not to worry about him, but that he does “feel guilty” when he returns to work on his podcast, even though work is his “respite”.
Martin continued to say that music helped Fiona. “We play her a lot of Rod Stewart, when she was a reporter she interviewed him and they became friends, he called her Doris – and I think she’s a contender for Rochelle and Marvin Humes’ The Hit List because she can do all the tunes.”
He had a few words for Health Secretary Wes Streeting, as he believed not enough had been done to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. He implored the Health Secretary to bring back his targets for diagnosing Alzheimer’s. Finally, Martin admitted that he sometimes wished Fiona had been diagnosed with cancer “because there’s drugs” to cure that.
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Dementia UK.
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