Fiona Phillips’ husband, Martin Frizell, provided a touching update on her ongoing Alzheimer’s battle – sharing his frustration over the lack of support for those with the disease.

Appearing on Loose Women, the former ITV boss, who has been married to Fiona since 1997, explained that while she is still ‘with us’, she is suffering with anxiety and frustration – but finds comfort in music.

During the update, Martin explained, “The good news is, there’s some improvement in terms of her mood, not so much in terms of Alzheimer’s, but being able to get better sleep, also having a better appetite.

“I think she’s actually in a much better place than she was, maybe a few weeks ago.

“Anybody who’s gone through Alzheimer’s and almost everyone in this audience will know someone who’s gone through it, music is a real great kind of leveller for them and really helps. It’s a real comfort,” Martin, who shares two grown-up sons with Fiona, added.

Appearing on the show to spread the word that Fiona’s book, Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer’s, is on shelves, Martin continued to explain that it’s ‘horrible’ to see his wife dealing with so much sadness and frustration over how her life and ability to work have changed.

“Well, Fiona’s main problem with the Alzheimer’s just now is frustration. She’s someone who worked from an age of 11 and didn’t stop working until a couple of years ago.

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“So she’ll watch the telly, and she’ll get frustrated that she’s not working, because she’ll get anxious or frightened thinking about it. Having seen all those things and knowing her, I mean this was a fearless woman.

“Seeing her now in that kind of anxious phase, it’s really horrible. But then, the whole of Alzheimer’s is horrible. But she’s still with us and sharp as a tack.”

Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer’s by Fiona Phillips
Earlier this year, Martin left his role as Editor of This Morning after a decade at the helm of the iconic show, in order to care for Fiona.

Expressing his anger over the lack of support for those dealing with the disease, he said, “It’s probably too late for Fiona in terms of finding a cure or help, or even getting care. So, the government’s said they’re looking at social care, but they’re not.

“They’ve kicked it into the long grass… I got really angry because when you think about it, it’s all front loaded health in this country to early life.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

“Once you’ve reached a certain age, it’s like ‘well they’ve had a good innings, just leave them be’.”

Back in 2023, Fiona spoke to woman&home about the early signs of her Alzheimer’s, telling us that she initially chalked the first indicators that something wasn’t right down to the menopause.

At the time, she said, “Getting my diagnosis was devastating. Initially, I put my symptoms, like getting confused and fatigued, down to menopause, even though I hadn’t suffered from them before. Menopause kind of covers everything, doesn’t it?

“The main thing I had with menopause was this crippling anxiety and brain fog but I knew this was different.”