Fiona Phillips has revealed why she concealed her Alzheimer’s diagnosis from her two sons. The ITV presenter, aged 62, courageously made her diagnosis public after learning the news herself last year at the age of 61.
Fiona, renowned for hosting GMTV in the 1990s, initially hesitated to disclose it to anyone due to the fear of people ‘labelling’ her. However, she acknowledges that she can no longer keep the disease hidden. Speaking to The Mirror, the columnist, who has two sons with This Morning executive Martin Frizell, explained that she was determined to keep Nat, 24, and Mackenzie, 21, unaware for several months.
Only recently, prior to her forthcoming candid interview being published, did she agree that they needed to be informed, as they likely had already noticed changes in her. ‘I simply didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, where we all gather as a family and announce that we have something to tell them,’ she told the publication.
‘And I was worried they might feel embarrassed in front of their friends or treat me differently. And it’s not as if I’m behaving out of character.’ Husband Martin added, ‘But there are instances of forgetfulness and memory lapses.’
‘They’re not severe, they’re not disrupting people’s lives,’ Fiona argued, to which Martin concurred. The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant from 2005 went on to reveal that after receiving her own diagnosis, both she and Martin underwent blood tests to determine if their children would inherit the disease.
Alzheimer’s is prevalent in Fiona’s family, as she lost both her mother and father to the condition. ‘We wanted to know in case we needed to prepare the boys for making difficult decisions later in life,’ Martin explained.
‘When the results came back negative, it was a significant moment – such an immense relief. There’s no Alzheimer’s on my side of the family, and thankfully, it appears that the boys have not inherited it from Fiona’s side of the family.’