Fiona Phillips said she mistook signs of Alzheimer's disease for common health condition

Fiona Phillips previously spoke out about refusing to recognise the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease before her diagnosis, after initially thinking it was related to the menopause. Her husband Martin Frizell, 65, announced he was stepping down from his position of editor on ITV show This Morning to help his family amid changing 'priorities'.

He said: "Next year I'm expecting my family priorities to change so I need to free up time for them. I love my team at ITV and will miss them and the thrill of live telly but it's an always on, 24 hours a day, seven days a week commitment and I won't be able to do both."

This Morning host Alison Hammond, speaking on Chris Evans' Virgin Radio show, said Martin was 'very emotional', but said 'he has to [leave the show] for family reasons', adding 'You all know about his wife (Fiona Phillip's).' Fiona, known for her time on GMTV, opened up about her diagnosis last year, having been diagnosed in 2022 following months of brain fog and anxiety.

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Fiona said that she had "refused to recognise" the signs leading up to her diagnosis. She also questioned whether her early starts could have contributed to the progression of the disease.

"I ask myself why I got this dreadful disease," Phillips shared with Woman and Home magazine. "I wonder whether all the years of getting up so early when I was working on GMTV contributed to me getting Alzheimer's so young."

Married to This Morning editor Martin Frizell, Fiona initially mistook symptoms like fatigue and confusion for menopausal issues. Fiona, who took part in Strictly Come Dancing back in 2005, initially consulted a menopause specialist. But she had months of tests after the fog failed to clear.

Fiona previously shared that both her parents, as well as her paternal grandparents and uncle, passed away from Alzheimer's. "I knew it was in my family but I didn't ever let myself think it might affect me too one day, so I refused to recognise the signs," she added.

She also said at the time that she was participating in a trial for a new drug, Miridesap, at University College Hospital in London, with hopes that it may slow or even reverse the progression of the disease.