Fiona Can’t Recall Her Son’s Name – But Remembers Brendan Cole Calling Her “Pathetic”

Martin Frizell has shared a powerful and emotional update on his wife Fiona Phillips’ Alzheimer’s journey, revealing both the devastation the disease has brought and the flickers of hope that remain.

The former This Morning editor, 66, posted a touching throwback photo of him and Fiona at Silverstone in 2022, expressing joy that she still remembers details of that day. “She remembered meeting Lando Norris and even a few details,” Martin wrote on Instagram. “That put a smile on my face today.”

Fiona, 64, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2022 at the age of 61. In extracts from her new memoir Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer’s, the couple candidly recount the emotional collapse of their marriage before her diagnosis, with Fiona admitting she felt detached and exhausted. Martin, feeling helpless and heartbroken, eventually moved out, believing their marriage might be the source of her exhaustion.

But the hardest words came when Martin confessed that he had, at one point, wished Fiona had been diagnosed with cancer instead of Alzheimer’s. “It’s a shocking thing to say,” he wrote, “but at least cancer has treatment pathways, support systems, even hope. With Alzheimer’s, you’re just left to cope alone. Bit by bit, it takes everything.”

Despite the heartbreak, Fiona is currently participating in a clinical drug trial, and recent cognitive tests showed her condition hasn’t worsened in the past year. “There’s a real chance it could help,” she shared, although she acknowledges the risks.

Her memoir also delves into her traumatic Strictly Come Dancing experience in 2005, where she recalls being emotionally broken by harsh treatment from dance partner Brendan Cole, describing the experience as “incredibly traumatic” and a time she may have blocked out due to its emotional toll.

For now, Martin continues to stand strong beside Fiona, determined to support her through every memory she retains and every one she loses.