Fiona Phillips' husband issues emotional update on her Alzheimer's
Fiona was diagnosed with Alzheimer's four years ago at the age of 61
Last updated 11th Feb 2026
Martin Frizell, husband of former breakfast TV presenter Fiona Phillips, appeared on Lorraine on 11th February 2026 to share an update on his wife’s health, four years after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at the age of just 61.
Speaking to host Lorraine Kelly, Martin, who is the former editor of This Morning, said: "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 women 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."
Hours after the interview, Martin shared a new photo of Fiona to his Instagram page, writing: 'So it was a choice, either get a dog or a jacket that looks like a dog. Paperback version of Fiona’s book out this week with a new chapter updating where we’ve reached and still zero government action on Alzheimer’s since I last spoke in the summer'. (sic)
Opening up about his support for Fiona, Martin told Lorraine: "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.
"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."
Fiona, who is famed for appearing on ITV news show GMTV between 1993-2010, revealed her heartbreaking diagnosis during a chat with The Mirror back in 2023, where she confirmed she was diagnosed in 2022 after months of anxiety and brain fog.
She said at the time: "This disease has ravaged my family and now it has come for me. And all over the country there are people of all different ages whose lives are being affected by it - it’s heartbreaking. I just hope I can help find a cure which might make things better for others in the future."
The TV host admitted to the publication she had feared the diagnosis due to the disease running in her family, but she was still left in shock when she was given the results by the doctor. She said: "It’s something I might have thought I’d get at 80. But I was still only 61-years-old.
"I felt more angry than anything else because this disease has already impacted my life in so many ways; my poor mum was crippled with it, then my dad, my grandparents, my uncle. It just keeps coming back for us.”
Fiona, who is a mum to Nat and Mackenzie, chose to make her diagnosis public after keeping it private for the first 18 months, hoping she could help end the stigma around Alzheimer's Disease.
She added at the time: “There is still an issue with this disease that the public thinks of old people, bending over a stick, talking to themselves. But I’m still here, getting out and about, meeting friends for coffee, going for dinner with Martin and walking every day.”
Upon receiving the diagnosis, Fiona's husband Martin said: “I just felt sick. We both sat in silence. There was no funny line to make this go away. Nothing smart to say. Nothing. And then the doctor said he’d leave us in the room alone for a bit to digest it all. We just looked at each other and said: ‘S--t. What are we going to do?'"
Fiona said: “It was the shock. Total shock. And then we said to each other... ‘Shall we go and have a drink?' So that’s what we did. In fact we’ve now become locals at the pub on the square by the hospital!”
In 2025, Fiona published a book called Remember When: My life with Alzheimer's, where she said: 'I hope this book can show people a little about what it is like to live with Alzheimer’s. How frightening and confusing it is. But also how much life can still bring joy and be valued.'
If you'd like more information or support about Alzheimer's Disease, visit Alzheimer's Society.