An Early-Onset Alzheimer's Memoir, By Someone Who Cared For Her Parents
"Remember When: My Life with Alzheimer's," By Fiona Phillips and Martin Frizell
Dear Friends, this is my next read. It’s been recently released (July 17, 2025).
This article is part of the Dementia Book Recommendations list:
Broadcaster Fiona Phillips, was an Alzheimer's Society ambassador, and then received an early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis in 2022 at the young age of 61. She faced the same heartbreaking diagnosis she had witnessed in her parents.
In her memoir, released July 17 (UK), "Remember When: My Life with Alzheimer's," co-authored with husband Martin Frizell, Phillips describes both the challenges of living with Alzheimer's and how life can still bring joy.
Despite cognitive decline, she and her husband continue to advocate for Alzheimer's awareness. Martin Frizell, former This Morning editor, now serves as her full-time carer and has spoken openly about their journey in recent media appearances.
Young-onset dementia affects over 70,000 people in the UK. Their advocacy efforts emphasise the need for increased awareness, funding, and research support.
'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.' - Fiona Phillips.
With courage and determination, Fiona set out to chronicle what was happening to her in the hope that her book would help others. From the tiny first warning signs - the inability to concentrate and the ‘brain fog’ she wrote off as the menopause - to the gradual loss of her memories and her growing confusion, she reveals how the disease progresses and how she copes. She also shares her experiences with the NHS and the systems that may seem hard for patients and their families to navigate. - Book summary.
I’m not very familiar with the work of Fiona Phillips or Martin Frizell. The book notification appeared in my inbox, so I sought out more information about the book and the authors.
Below are three videos that I found. In the first (July 11, 2025), Martin Frizell introduces us to the book and Fiona’s battle with Alzheimer’s.
On November 16, 2016, Fiona appeared in a video interview as an ambassador for Alzheimer’s Research UK, advocating for greater awareness and funding, and sharing some of her parents’ journey with the same disease. The media appearance was to promote a Christmas-themed Dementia Awareness campaign.
Lastly, on July 12, 2025, Camilla Tominey conducts an in-depth, hour-long interview with Martin. He offers more of his personal experiences and opinions about Alzheimer’s and caring for Fiona.
A few thoughts I’ll be reflecting on when I read the book.
Fiona was diagnosed with early-onset dementia at 61, similar to her parents. However, the genetic test showed, as Martin puts it, ‘she doesn’t have the gene for Alzheimer’s, she has a predisposition for it.’ When I read the book, I’ll be interested in understanding more about their medical journey and whether there was more explanation around what ‘predisposition’ means.12
When they share that the tiny first warning signs were the inability to concentrate and the ‘brain fog’ she wrote off as the menopause, I wonder how many other middle-aged women may be doing the same. This struck a particular chord with me, after flip-flopping about some nebulous abdominal pain symptoms I was suffering from since the end of 2024. I would be interested in knowing how long it took from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis and how it was determined.
I’ll be interested to read about Fiona’s experience, particularly because she cared for her parents who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. While she may not want to dwell on the diagnosis itself, I’m curious to learn about how she’s navigating it all.
I’m particularly interested in reading Martin’s words. He’s mentioned that once he started writing, the anger pushed him to write more. I think that’s something many caregivers can relate to.
I hope that he and his family have friends and family who support them, but from the interview, it’s clear that he’s been disappointed by some of his friends. I’m sending out much empathy and best wishes to him and his family. Every situation is unique. I’m grateful they are using their platform to raise awareness of Dementia, the need for funding and especially the need for social care reforms. In particular, following the loss of writer and campaigner Wendy Mitchell last year.
Let me know if you start reading this book.
1. Fiona Phillips’ Battle With Alzheimer's. An interview with her husband Martin Frizell, on ‘This Morning’ (July 11, 2025)
She was one of the most recognisable faces in breakfast TV. But in 2008 Fiona Phillips stepped away from her dream job at the helm of GMTV to care for her father who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, shortly after her mum died of the same disease.
Sadly in early 2022, doctors confirmed her worst fears; her ‘menopause’ symptoms were in fact early-onset Alzheimer's.
Martin shares the realities of Fiona’s condition, the impact it’s had on their family, and the signs and symptoms that, in hindsight, were indications of what was to come.
2. Fiona Phillips Opens Up About Losing Her Parents To Alzheimer's | This Morning (November 16, 2016)
With 61,000 dying of dementia in England and Wales last year alone, Fiona Phillips reveals why this is a cause so close to her heart. She is joined by Joy Watson who, two years ago, at just 55, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.
A few key points from the interview
Both Fiona’s parents had Alzheimer's - her mother started showing signs in her 50s and her father in his early 60s.
Alzheimer's is not an inevitable part of aging but one of about four diseases that fall under the umbrella of dementia, and it's the most common one.
Fiona first noticed her mother's condition at Christmas when her mother was unusually cold, was crying frequently, and despite her love of all things Christmas, there was no food in the house.
Her father's condition was initially overlooked because everyone was focused on her mother; in 2009, he was found driving erratically by police and held in prison without the family being notified.
The disease impacts the entire family, creating resentment and tensions as caregiving responsibilities are often unequally distributed.
Fiona advocates for more awareness, noting that Alzheimer's can happen to anyone at relatively young ages. Joy Watson was 55 years old when she was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers.
The interview mentions an advertisement featuring Santa with dementia. Whilst it may seem controversial, it’s important to raise awareness of what can happen to loved ones, and to emphasise the message that hope exists IF we can work together through research, to find a cure
This is the Christmas advert they refer to in the interview, introduced by Stephen Fry.
3. Living with Alzheimer’s: Martin Frizell on his wife Fiona Phillips’ Diagnosis (July 12, 2025)
More than 70,000 people in the UK live with young-onset dementia, but what does that journey actually look like?
In this emotional and candid episode of The Daily T, Camilla Tominey is joined by Martin Frizell, former editor of This Morning and husband to broadcaster Fiona Phillips, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at just 61. Martin opens up about life as a full-time carer, the couple’s powerful new memoir "Remember When: My Life with Alzheimer's", and how their family has coped with the disease over the last five years. He also offers a raw and insightful perspective on the current state of dementia research and the urgent need for greater awareness, funding and support.
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‘Predisposition’ like Chris Hemsworth’s? He does not have dementia, but he does have a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's disease. He discovered he carries two copies of the APOE4 gene, which significantly increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's, though it is not a deterministic gene. This genetic information was revealed during the filming of his documentary series, "Limitless," on Disney+.
Chris Hemsworth Changed His Life After an Ominous Health Warning In an exclusive sit-down with Vanity Fair, the actor discusses movies, the future of Thor, his businesses, fatherhood, and how a genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s alters everything. Read more here
There are many genes in our DNA that, in combination, can increase our risk of Alzheimer’s- but there are variations in one gene in particular which seems to have the biggest influence.
This gene, called APOE, was first linked to late-onset Alzheimer’s in 1993. Since then, researchers have been trying to understand the reasons why this gene is so strongly linked to Alzheimer’s. Read more here