Heartbreaking question Fiona Phillips asked her husband 72 times on drive

Fiona Phillips’s husband Martin Frizell has told how her advancing condition has left her increasingly confused and isolated – unable to understand why she is being taken to hospital

In a deeply emotional interview, former This Morning editor Martin Frizell has told how his wife Fiona Phillips has been severely affected by early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Fiona was just 61 in 2022 when she received her devastating diagnosis, and the condition has already worsened dramatically. He told Newsnight’s Victoria Derbyshire: “I used to say good days and bad days, now I just say bad days or wretched days, I think wretched is a great word for it.”

He recalled one heartbreaking taxi ride on the way to a hospital appointment where Fiona, now 64, was completely disoriented: “In the cab ride, she asked me, ’Where are we going’ 72 times.”

Fiona was once a familiar face on TV(Image: Press Association)

Martin explained that Fiona had to see doctors about an unexplained pain that may or may not be directly connected to her condition: “She’s got a secondary pain. We don’t know where the pain’s coming from. We don’t know if it’s physiological.

“I couldn’t drive her because she panics, and it’s bad enough just driving with that too. I wouldn’t take her on public transport because I’m frightened.”

He explained that Fiona still looks just as she did when she was a regular face on TV, and so there’s a good chance that she might be approached by a member of the public, leading to confusion and distress.

He said that Fiona couldn’t understand why she was in the taxi, and kept repeating the same four words: “I’d say, ‘We’re going to see the doctor and hopefully he’ll take the pain away,’ and then, literally 15 seconds later, [she’d say] ‘Where are we going?’”

Fiona and Martin married in 1997 and they have two children(Image: Getty Images)

In perhaps his most heartbreaking admission, Martin confessed that he would have preferred it if his wife had been diagnosed with cancer instead of Alzheimer’s.

“My mum died from [cancer],” he said, “My father had cancer, so I know what cancer can do.

“But I don’t think Fiona is ever going to be able to taste a glass of wine again, walk on a beach properly again, go on holiday again, go to the theatre, go to the cinema, drive her car, or cook a meal for her children.”

He added: “My worry is that on her deathbed, whenever that may come, and hopefully it’s a long time from now, will she even know who we are?”

Fiona and Martin announced that their first child was on the way in March 1998(Image: Press Association)

With cancer, Martin said, there is always a chance that the condition can go into remission, or at least be slowed down. But he added that, by contrast, there is no hope when it comes to Alzheimer’s.

In November 2007, Fiona appeared in the documentary The Killer in Me, during which former England footballer John Barnes, political commentator Andrew Neil, and Heart FM DJ Toby Anstis all found out their risk of developing 11 major diseases, including cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

In August 2008, Fiona stepped down from helming ITV’s flagship Breakfast show GMTV Today, and, in a poignant moment, Martin shared a clip of her last words on the show, saying : “It’s been such a privilege sharing my mornings with you, and I won’t forget you.”

Martin has grimly announced that he’d rather his wife had cancer(Image: Getty Images Europe)

This week sees the publication of Fiona’s memoir, Remember When: My Life with Alzheimer’s, which is co-written by Martin and journalist Alison Phillips.

The book charts the relentless progress of her condition — including memory loss, impaired speech, and difficulty with everyday tasks — it also highlights the challenges faced by those with early-onset dementia and their carers.