Fiona Phillips has stated that she has Alzheimer’s disease and has spoken out about the risks that come with the disease.
The GMTV anchor, 62, didn’t expect to be diagnosed so young, but when her mother and father died from the cancer, she figured it’d come when she was 80.
The actress is currently taking part in a treatment study for the degenerative disease, which experts believe can slow or even reverse its effects.
Fiona went to the doctor after experiencing brain fog and worry for months, and she was given the dreadful prognosis last year.
Martin Frizell, the ITV executive and her spouse of 25 years, has two children with her: Mackenzie, 21, and Nathaniel, 24.
In a candid conversation, the couple discussed the diagnosis, with Martin filling in the blanks in Fiona’s memories.
The Mirror has now reported Fiona was recently scammed on the phone by a fraudster, who managed to steal ‘thousands’ from her bank account.
Fortunately, Fiona was believed to have received a full return from the bank, but the event revealed her vulnerability.
Martin admitted that Fiona is growing “more dependant” on him.
While chatting about telling more people about the diagnosis, Martin revealed: “I’ll say “Fiona you’ve got do to this”. She’ll say “I don’t want to”. I’ll say, “but the doctors say so.”
‘So that makes it hard for her and then it’s hard to be independent because you have to rely on other people.’
When Fiona shot back asking for a specific example, Martin responded: ‘But you are having to be more reliant on me and that’s why it will be good to widen the group who know what is happening so there will be other people you can rely on too. ‘
With her quick wit very much in tact, Fiona retorted: ‘Well, I might find someone more attractive to rely on!’
The couple also claimed that they had recently informed their children of the condition.
Concerned that their two sons may inherit the sickness, Fiona and Martin had their blood tested; happily, the findings were negative.
Fiona is now focusing on the medical trials and attempting to eliminate the stigma surrounding the condition in order to make the future a little brighter for people affected by Alzheimer’s for years to come.
What is early-onset Alzheimer’s disease?
Early-onset Alzheimer’s is also known as young-onset dementia or younger-onset Alzheimer’s. It is the label given to anyone who receives a diagnosis before they turn 65.
According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, an estimated 70,800 people with dementia in the UK have young onset, and Alzheimer’s disease accounts for around one in three cases of young onset dementia.
It is thought at least five in every 100 people with Alzheimer’s are under 65, however the figure may be higher.
According to the NHS, the symptoms of Alzheimer’s can begin with usually minor memory problems, but can develop into:
- confusion, disorientation and getting lost in familiar places
- difficulty planning or making decisions
- problems with speech and language
- problems moving around without assistance or performing self-care tasks
- personality changes, such as becoming aggressive, demanding and suspicious of others
- hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there) and delusions (believing things that are untrue)
- low mood or anxiety
