“I Can’t Imagine My Life Without Her… I Had To Do This.” Fiona Phillips’ husband made a choice few could ever imagine — walking away from everything he knew, from his career, the spotlight, and the life he had built, all for one reason: her. Those closest to the couple describe the moment he decided as utterly heart-stopping, a mixture of fear, love, and devotion that left everyone in tears. “She’s been there for me through everything, through the darkest times, and now it’s my turn to be there for her, no matter what it costs me,” he whispered. It wasn’t just the magnitude of what he gave up — the public life, the comfort, the recognition — but the quiet, unseen sacrifices that make the moment so achingly human. In stepping away from everything familiar, he didn’t just change his own path — he rewrote theirs, proving that true love sometimes asks for the deepest, most painful acts of courage.
An ITV legend launched a surprise new career after he quit This Morning and left his colleagues in tears.
Martin Frizell stepped down as editor of the daytime programme back in February to take care of his wife Fiona Phillips, who has Alzheimer’s.
Now, he has announced his next career move and revealed on Instagram that he would be working on a new weekly podcast, This Much Is True Crime.
The new venture is set to launch soon, but an exact date is yet to be confirmed.
He wrote: ‘Takes a prolific serial killer to knock Adolescence off the No1 Netflix spot. Gone Girls profiles America’s modern day Jack the Ripper and his body count may not be over yet!
‘Coming soon is This Much is True Crime, a new weekly podcast with Britain’s leading criminologist (and serial killer expert) Prof David Wilson and me (Fred West and many other crime reports).
+6
View gallery
Producer Martin Frizell (right) stepped down as editor of the daytime programme back in February to take care of his wife Fiona Phillips (left), who has Alzheimer’s
+6
View gallery
Now, he has announced his next career move and revealed on Instagram that he would be working on a new weekly podcast, This Much Is True Crime
+6
View gallery
It comes after Martin appeared on This Morning in February on his very last day on set. Pictured sharing an emotional farewell with Alison Hammond
‘If it’s in the headlines or the ratings, we’re talking about it. We start with Gone Girls. Not just a whodunnit, but a whydunnit?’
It comes after Martin appeared on This Morning in February on his very last day on set.
Martin had overseen the show’s production for the last decade and at the end of his final episode, he sat on the sofa with Josie Gibson and Alison Hammond.
In a moving segment, the co-presenters told Frizzell how much he meant to them and how much they valued his impact on their careers.
An emotional Hammond said: ‘He’s the one that took a chance on us, transforming mine and Josie’s careers.
‘It’s an incredible opportunity and we just want to say thank you very much. We love you’.
The This Morning presenter continued: ‘On behalf of the team on This Morning we think you are incredible and we are so sad to see you go’.
+6
View gallery
Josie Gibson (left) and Alison Hammond (centre) invited This Morning boss Martin Frizzell (right) onto the show’s famous sofa on what was his last day
Gibson echoed Hammond’s words, adding that Frizell believed in her when she didn’t even believe in herself.
‘I just want to say, thank you so much because you believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself and you grew me as a presenter and I just can’t thank you enough’.
Reacting to the pair’s kind words, Frizell replied: ‘If you were rubbish, you wouldn’t be on telly. You’re very good. It has been a great ride and a fantastic time’.
His departure from the show’s production team had been announced earlier on during the broadcast by Gibson and came off the back of his own announcement last November that he would soon be stepping down for personal reasons.
Frizell’s wife Fiona Phillips had received a heartbreaking Alzheimer’s diagnosis back in 2022, with the This Morning boss taking the decision to quit the show in order to spend more time with her.
‘Next year I’m expecting my family priorities to change, so I need to free up time for them’, the 66-year-old said back in November.
‘I love my team at This Morning 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.
+6
View gallery
Alison Hammond (left) being embraced by show boss Martin Frizzell (right) after breaking down in tears over his departure from This Morning
‘It’s been a privilege to lead truly great presenters and producers, between us we’ve turned out more than six thousand hours of live topical telly, that’s around 20,000 items.
‘Whilst the gongs are always nice, I’m most proud of the change we made to so many lives, even saving a fair few with our campaigns on anti-suicide, menopause, testicular cancer and ‘how-to’ items.
‘This juggernaut is the toughest test for any broadcast journalist’.
