Former GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips was photographed enjoying an ice cream in a London park as her husband Martin Frizell shared an update on her Alzheimer’s battle
20:14, 10 Apr 2026
Fiona in a rare photo(Image: Martin Frizell/Instagram)
Fiona Phillips was spotted beaming as she strolled through a park in a rare social media post. This followed her husband, Martin Frizell, expressing gratitude to supporters for enquiring about her wellbeing after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
The 65-year-old former GMTV presenter was diagnosed with the condition four years ago. Alzheimer’s is a progressive and incurable brain disorder that impacts memory, thinking and behaviour. Since Fiona’s diagnosis, Martin has been advocating for enhanced government policy on support for people living with Alzheimer’s and their families.
Martin, who worked for ITV until he resigned in 2024 to become his wife’s full-time carer, shared a photograph on Instagram showing Fiona savouring a white chocolate Magnum while walking in the park. In the caption, he revealed that he was frequently asked about Fiona, especially when he travelled to Scotland on tour with his This Much Is True Crime podcast.
Fiona and her husband(Image: Getty Images Europe)
He said: “Very touched by many nice comments from folk asking about Fiona while I’m on our short Tartan Noir Scottish tour so here’s a picture of what she’s up to in my absence – she’s changed Magnum flavours!
“This was Fiona out in the London sunshine this week and Almond has been replaced by the white chocolate version. Simple pleasures but a highlight of the day.”, reports the Mirror.
Admirers of the pair rushed to the comments section to send their best wishes. One remarked that it was “wonderful to see Fiona out and about” and lauded Martin as an “amazing husband”. Another said: “So lovely to see Fiona enjoying the sunshine, her the book was so moving.” A third added: “Lovely photograph of Fiona enjoying the sunshine.”
Recently, Martin appeared on Lorraine to discuss how “wretched” the impact of Fiona’s struggle with Alzheimer’s had been. He told the presenter that he had battled with “slipping into a depression” while caring for Fiona, as he could witness her “slip away”.
She was a much-loved TV presenter(Image: Getty Images)
He added that his wife no longer recalls Valentine’s Day or Christmas. He continued: “She’s still there, but day by day, we can see it slipping away – and just to sit there and see this person who was, as you know was the most dynamic, bubbly, and had so much pride in how she dressed and what she did – it’s just a loss of dignity…”
Martin also disclosed that people would ask him if he was alright and that he used to tell them not to worry about him, but that he does “feel guilty” when he returns to work on his podcast, even though work is his “respite”.
Martin went on to say that music helped Fiona. “We play her a lot of Rod Stewart, when she was a reporter she interviewed him and they became friends, he called her Doris – and I think she’s a contender for Rochelle and Marvin Humes’ The Hit List because she can do all the tunes.” He had some remarks for Health Secretary Wes Streeting, as he felt insufficient progress had been made to discover a cure for Alzheimer’s. He urged the Health Secretary to reintroduce his targets for diagnosing Alzheimer’s. Finally, Martin confessed that he occasionally wished Fiona had been diagnosed with cancer “because there’s drugs” to cure that.
Join the Daily Star’s WhatsApp for the sexiest headlines, showbiz gossip and lots more
The Daily Star is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join us!
Through the app, we’ll send you the sassiest showbiz stories, some naught headline and a seismic smattering of aliens…along with the latest breaking news of course.
To join our community, all you have to do to join is click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in!
No one will be able to see who has sign up and no one can send messages except for the Daily Star team. We also treat our community members to competitions, special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN
Have you joined Threads? Follow Daily Star to keep up to date on all things showbiz here
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter
