Fiona Phillips’ new book to show how life with Alzheimer’s ‘can still bring joy’
The broadcaster said she hopes the book, called Remember When, can ‘show people a little about what it is like to live with Alzheimer’s’.
Former GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips is to show how life with Alzheimer’s “can still bring joy” in a new book following her diagnosis with the condition.
The 64-year-old will release Remember When with the help of her husband, former This Morning editor Martin Frizell and long-time friend and journalist Alison Phillips, through publishers Pan Macmillan on July 3.
Speaking about the new book, Phillips said: “I hope this book can show people a little about what it is like to live with Alzheimer’s.
“How frightening and confusing it is. But also how much life can still bring joy and be valued. And if you or someone you love is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, I hope this book brings you some comfort.
“I want you to know, you are not alone.”
The book aims to help others who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, as Phillips speaks about early warning signs and her gradual loss of memory and confusion, while her husband Frizell also shares his experience.
The Kent-born journalist announced in 2023 that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, after initially thinking she was having menopause symptoms when she first started experiencing “brain fog and anxiety”.
Phillips cared for her parents after both of them were also diagnosed with the condition.
She has made two documentaries on the condition in 2009’s Mum, Dad, Alzheimer’s And Me, about her family’s history of dementia, and My Family And Alzheimer’s (2010).
Phillips has also served as an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Kate Lee, chief executive of the charity, told the PA news agency: “Fiona has been a long-term campaigner for people affected by dementia and we are incredibly proud to have her as an ambassador.
“We are extremely grateful to Fiona for sharing her personal experiences of living with dementia and we know this book will help raise much-needed awareness of the condition.
“We are here to offer our support to everyone affected by dementia, through our website alzheimers.org.uk and our dementia support line on 0333 150 3456.”
Speaking about Phillips’s new book, Ingrid Connell, publishing director at Pan Macmillan, said: “As a broadcaster, Fiona was known to be warm, empathetic and honest, and those very qualities are what makes this book stand out.
“She refuses to sugar-coat the truth about Alzheimer’s and her positivity and desire to help others impacted by the disease are inspirational.”
Phillips quit TV in 2018 after she started to suffer from anxiety, having presented GMTV from 1993 to 2008, before going on to head up a number of documentaries and episodes of Panorama, she was also one of the Mirror’s longest-serving columnists.
