Former GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips has said that she "can't just lie down and accept" her Alzheimer's diagnosis.
The broadcaster, 62, confirmed her diagnosis in an exclusive interview with The Mirror on Wednesday.
ITV colleagues, friends and fans including Lorraine Kelly and Loose Women star Denise Welch shared their love and support for the presenter on social media following the news.
The Mirror columnist has said that she hopes her involvement in clinical trials will be a step towards defeating Alzheimer’s, saying: “I can’t just lie down and accept it.”
Phillips previously said she thought she was experiencing menopause symptoms when she first started experiencing “brain fog and anxiety” but was later diagnosed with the disease in 2022.
The 62-year-old is taking part in trials at University College Hospital in London where she now receives three daily drug injections.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Phillips explained that the Doctors have told her that her condition is hereditary.
The presenter is predisposed to it due to her family history – her parents, grandparents and uncle have all had the illness.
Her mother Amy was reportedly first affected by Alzheimer’s in her 50s and died in 2006, aged 74, while her father got it before his wife died.
Phillips, who is mother to sons, Nat, 24, and Mackenzie, 21, told the paper: “This disease has already taken a big chunk out of my life.
“My mum got it very badly. I was living in London and my parents were in Wales. Every weekend I’d put the boys in the back of the car and bomb down in my little car to see Mum.
Fiona Phillips discusses her Alzheimer's diagnosis
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) July 4, 2023
"I've been trying not to think about it really, I'm just carrying on" pic.twitter.com/rxONdCalbk
“She became very scared and would cry all the time and go out and get lost.
“That’s terrible if you get lost and can’t make yourself known, and are frightened and crying. That happens to a lot of people.”
She added: “I think my dad got it towards the end of Mum’s life and it actually made him very funny.
“When me and my brothers were kids he was always strict. But when he fell ill with dementia he became really warm and lovely, laughing at everything.”
Fiona Phillips scammed by a phone fraudster
This Morning editor Martin Frizell - who is Phillips’ husband - said that he has “absolutely” ramped up his efforts to take care of her since she was diagnosed.
The news comes after Phillips was recently scammed by a phone fraudster who siphoned thousands of pounds out of her bank account.
Although the bank refunded her the money, the instance demonstrates her increased vulnerability.
Frizell shared with the paper: “I didn’t ever have to worry about Fiona before, and now I do. What is she doing all day while I’m at work? What is she doing in the evening if I’m out? What has she eaten?”
Fiona Phillips remains 'very positive' about Alzheimer's trials
The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant has shared that she is feeling “very positive” about the trials she is taking part in, adding: “I have to be. I want to try to make things better for people in the future. I now have to talk about it openly.
“I have been reluctant as I think people look at you in a different way if they think you have Alzheimer’s.
“Attitudes change. People used to refer to cancer as The Big C in hushed tones but that has gone – maybe it can be the same for Alzheimer’s.
“Most of all we have to find a cure or way of managing this terrible disease because it is crippling people and crippling the health service. Care homes are full of people with it.”
She hopes that playing her part in clinical trials will be a step towards defeating the illness which has caused her family so much pain.
She said: “That’s why I want to do the trials.
“I can’t just lie down and accept it.
“I have already been through so much of it. I have to do something to help end this bloody awful disease.”
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