Fiona Phillips left ‘helpless’ after late mum’s public display of Alzheimer’s
Fiona Phillips opens up about her Alzheimer's diagnosis
Fiona Phillips addressed the “cruel” nature of Alzheimer’s disease and how it impacted her late mother, just months before receiving her own diagnosis.
The ITV presenter, 62, opened up on how the illness had made her family suffer in a 2021 column for The Mirror, while discussing singer Tony Bennett’s Alzheimer’s battle.
Fiona penned at the time: “Alzheimer’s is a cruel disease, especially early onset.
“My mum started changing in her mid-50s and spent most of the rest of her life constantly crying because she knew she was literally losing her mind.”
Fiona went on to reflect on her mum’s public display of the illness, which left the star feeling “helpless”.
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The mum-of-two continued: “I recall one truly awful incident in a Marks & Spencer store when she blithely started taking her clothes off and people gathered around to laugh while she cried.
“I have never felt so angry, so sad, so helpless.”
Both of Fiona’s parents suffered from Alzheimer’s, with her mother Amy developing the illness at just 54-years-old.
The star has now opened up about how doctors told her she had Alzheimer’s at the age of 61, confirming her worst fears.
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Fiona had initially believed she was suffering from brain fog due to the menopause.
Unfortunately, in a new interview with the publication alongside her husband, This Morning editor Martin Frizell, Fiona shared that Alzheimer’s was the true reason behind her symptoms.
Martin shared: “We thought maybe it was the menopause because all the symptoms were there; brain fog, anxiety and confusion.
“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.”
Fiona added: “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. The star’s grandparents and uncle also battled it.
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