Former GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips has recalled the moment doctors told her she had early signs of Alzheimer’s Disease.
The 62-year-old television host had “feared” it would happen to her at some point due the disease running in her family, but not so early on.
Speaking out alongside her long-term husband, This Morning editor Martin Frizell, he revealed how the pair initially believed her symptoms were due to the menopause.
Fiona had begun experiencing brain fog, confusion and anxiety towards the end of 2021.
“I’d never had that in my life,” she told The Mirror.
Martin added: “We got in touch with a menopause specialist who took her under their wing and put her on HRT but while that improved some symptoms, the brain fog remained.”
READ MORE: TV legend Fiona Phillips diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease
In response, Fiona said she had no recollection of this happening, pointing it out as an example of how bad her memory had become.
As fears grew, the mother-of-two was then told the “gut punching, shuddering” news by her doctor, who said: “Your results are back.. And yes, I’m afraid they do show early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.”
On receiving the news, the mother-of-two said: “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,” she added.
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The former GMTV star had been keeping her diagnosis private until now, even hiding the news from the couple’s two children; Nathan, 24, and Mackenzie, 21.
Fiona admitted she initially didn’t want to make a big thing out of her diagnosis and also feared her children would be embarrassed about it.
Now the news is public however, Fiona will undergo clinical trials for a revolutionary new drug which could slow or reverse the illness.
She also hopes speaking out will help others who are concerned.
According to the NHS, Alzheimer’s disease is most common in people over the age of 65.
The risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia increases with age, affecting an estimated one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in every six people over the age of 80.
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