‘What happens next?’ Martin Frizell shares heartbreaking Fiona Phillips update as star, 65, now in advanced stages of Alzheimer’s

Fiona, 65, was diagnosed back in 2022

Martin Frizell has shared a heartbreaking new update on how wife Fiona Phillips is doing now, following her 2022 Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Both of Fiona’s parents suffered with the disease, with Fiona caring for them up until their deaths. Now, as he releases an updated version of their book, Remember When, Martin has revealed that Fiona is now sadly in the advanced stages of early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Now only that, but he’s now started to question how much longer he will be able to care for Fiona, 65, at home.

How Fiona Phillips is doing now as Martin Frizell shares update

Martin has revealed in a new interview that Fiona is now in the advanced stages of early-onset Alzheimer’s. He also shared that, since the release of their book last summer, Fiona’s condition has deteriorated.

Martin shared that as well as the memory loss Fiona has been forced to endure, she is also still in terrible pain. It’s something that she’s been struggling with for months. The cause of the pain remains undiagnosed.

Martin spoke to the Daily Mail on the way to see a specialist, commenting: “There’s no way I could drive or we could take public transport. Fiona now rarely understands where she is going or why. She’s constantly asking what is happening. Probably four or five times a minute on loop for the entire journey.”

He also shared how he’s afraid of “what happens next”. And also how much longer he can continue to provide care for Fiona at home. He told the paper: “How long can we keep and care for my beautiful wife at home? What happens next?”

She can now no longer write or work a phone. She also struggles to figure out where the music she so loves is being played from. Martin also revealed that Fiona now spends a lot of her time resting or sleeping in bed. This is something her specialists have recommended.

Support from Kate McCann

After publishing their book, Remember When, Martin said he was inundated from support. It even came from an unlikely quarter, with a letter from Kate McCann – mother of missing Madeleine – rousing Fiona temporarily from her fog.

Martin revealed: “Out of the blue I received a message for Fiona from Kate McCann. She remembered that she was a warm, bubbly and capable lady. Kate was sure those attributes must have stood Fiona in good stead. I didn’t realise until I read the letter that Kate McCann, herself a doctor, had spent almost 10 years in [NHS] Memory Services, largely drawn to it because of her dad, who also had dementia.”

He added that when he read the letter to Fiona, she remembered Madeleine, and became emotional. He said that, for a moment, the Alzheimer’s fog lifted and she was back as the GMTV presenter and sympathetic mum who’d met the McCanns several times.