TV legend Fiona Phillips diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease

TV presenter Fiona Phillips has announced that she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease aged 62. The GMTV star got the devastating news last year after suffering months of brain fog and anxiety.

She told The Mirror: “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.”

Fiona tragically lost both her mother and father to the cruel disease. On top of that, her grandparents and uncle also battled it.

Remaining optimistic, Fiona hopes she “can help find a cure which might make things better for others in the future”.

The mum-of-two, who is married to This Morning editor Martin Frizell, says her condition is in the mild stages and she has been accepted onto a trial for a revolutionary new drug.

It is hoped that the new treatment could slow the disease’s progress, but it is still too soon to determine whether it works.

She added to the aforementioned publication: “Even if it isn’t helping me, these tests will be helping other people in the future so I just have to keep going.”

Fiona had initially put her “brain fog” down to menopause and was put on HRT by a specialist. However, when her symptoms remained, she underwent months of tests and a lumbar puncture which eventually determined that she had the dreaded disease.

Writing in 2022, before her diagnosis, Fiona said she was “fearing for [her] sanity” and didn’t “know what [she was] talking about half the time”.

She also shared her fears that it would mark the end of her decades-long career as a journalist.

Fiona’s mother, Amy, developed the early onsets of Alzheimer’s aged 53 before she died in 2006 aged 74.

Her dad, Phil, was also struck down by the condition in his early 60s and later moved to a psychiatric hospital where he died in 2012, aged 76.

Fiona has campaigned tirelessly for Alzheimer’s charities for many years and is an ambassador for Alzheimer’s Society.

Following the news of Fiona’s own diagnosis, Chief Executive Kate Lee told Express.co.uk: “Our thoughts are with our Ambassador Fiona Phillips and her family following the announcement that she’s living with dementia.

“Fiona has frequently spoken out about her parents’ experiences of dementia, and her support of Alzheimer’s Society has been hugely impactful and greatly appreciated. Sharing such personal news publicly raises much-needed awareness of dementia and we are extremely grateful to Fiona.

“We are here to offer our support to Fiona and her family and to everyone affected by dementia, through our website alzheimers.org.uk and dementia support line on 0333 150 3456.”