Fiona Phillips’ husband has disclosed that the former TV presenter hasn’t cooked for years as she faces the challenges of Alzheimer’s and has no time for her once-loved wardrobe of designer outfits.
Martin Frizell shared that his wife’s cherished hobbies and passions have faded away – having not cooked in two years and donning the same T-shirt and trousers each day.
He asked The Telegraph: “What do I do with all these clothes?” And regarding her once-adored collection of cookbooks, now gathering dust in the basement, he pondered: “Do I take them to the dump? … She’s never going to open one again.”
Despite the changes, he is adamant that Fiona’s hobbies won’t be entirely lost, making sure she still enjoys having her hair and nails done regularly.
Additionally, MailOnline reported him saying that friends cooking for them and leaving meals on their step would be incredibly appreciated, reports. the Mirror.
The ex-GMTV star, 64, was given the Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2022 at just 61 years old, following her departure from the ITV breakfast programme in 2008 to look after her own father who also battled with the condition before passing away in 2012, while her mother succumbed to it in 2006.
Martin, 66, stepped down from his role as Editor of ITV’s This Morning in February after a decade to become a full-time carer for Fiona. Together with the assistance of journalist friend Alison Phillips, she has penned a memoir titled Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer’s, chronicling her experience with the diagnosis.
Ahead of its release on 17 July, Martin has opened up about the devastating effects of the disease, which is the leading cause of dementia. While there’s no known cure at present, certain medications can help to somewhat ease the symptoms.
Martin, who tied the knot with Fiona in 1997 and shares two children, Nathaniel, 26, and Mackenzie, 23, with her, initially contributed a few paragraphs to his wife’s memoir but ended up penning more than 24,000 words.
He shared the moment when she was diagnosed and handed a leaflet on living with the disease that featured an elderly couple with a Zimmer frame. This image starkly contrasted with Fiona’s youthful appearance, having just turned 61.
Martin said: “She was wearing skinny jeans and high-heeled boots. This was a degenerative disease for old people like the ones on the leaflet.”
Initially, they attributed her symptoms – brain fog, social withdrawal, mood swings, depression and anxiety – to the menopause.
Fiona has always led an active lifestyle, leading Martin to wonder if stress could have triggered her diagnosis.
At one point, during her stint on GMTV from 1993 to 2008, she was starting work at 3am, participating in Strictly Come Dancing, raising her young sons, and caring for her parents, who lived far away in Wales.
However, he also considered whether their lifestyle in their younger years – which involved them each regularly consuming a bottle of wine every night – could have played a part.
Martin, who has previously helmed shows like GMTV and Loose Women, is now a full-time carer for his wife at their London home. He opened up about her heartbreaking decline over the past year, revealing she now needs assistance with simple tasks such as brushing her teeth and suffers from increasing confusion, pain, delirium, psychosis, and tends to stay indoors.
Martin made an emotional appearance on This Morning on Friday, July 11, where he spoke to presenters Alison Hammond, aged 50, and Dermot O’Leary, aged 52, about Fiona’s condition.
He discussed the profound impact Fiona’s diagnosis has had on their family life over the last three years.
He shared: “In the book, there’s a picture of her at the end of our road, the most recent picture I took, only a few weeks ago.
“And she’s looking great and she’s smiling and she’s got her coat on. And what you don’t know is she thought I’d kidnapped her. This was us going out.
“Because you get delusions because you get so worked up. She keeps saying, ‘I want to go home’.”
When Alison inquired whether Fiona still recognises him, he responded: “She does recognise me most of the times. Doesn’t quite know that I’m her husband but she knows who I am.”