Fiona Phillips' Alzheimer's battle as husband Martin quits This Morning over 'family matters'

Martin Frizell has quit This Morning to focus on his family after his wife, former GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. His departure also follows the fallout from the 2023 Phillip Schofield scandal, which led to heightened scrutiny of the show.

Former GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips has been battling Alzheimer's, and now her husband, Martin Frizell, has stepped down from his role as editor of This Morning to focus on "family matters." Martin, who has been with ITV for 10 years, announced that he will leave his position in Spring 2025. He first joined ITV in 2014 as editor of Loose Women before moving to This Morning.

Fiona revealed her Alzheimer's diagnosis last year at the age of 62. She has undergone treatment to slow the progression of the disease, which also claimed the lives of both her parents. Throughout her journey, Martin and their two sons have been by her side.

The couple had an open conversation with The Mirror last year about how they are managing Fiona’s diagnosis. When asked how he's handling Fiona's memory loss, Martin said: “My only frustration is just I want her to get better. I want her to remember things. I want the apathy to go and I want this person back who was vibrant and interested in things and eager to do new things... But she’s not there at the moment.”

Fiona, visibly moved and a little confused, responded, “Really? I hadn’t noticed I was being like that.” Martin explained, “But you wouldn’t because you are in the middle of it.”

The conversation continued with Fiona remarking on her independence, saying, “I try not to rely on him too much,” to which Martin laughed and admitted, “I have absolutely ramped it up. Before, I didn’t have to worry about Fiona, and now I do... What is she doing all day while I’m at work? What is she eating?”

Fiona playfully retorted, “As if I wouldn’t be fed. And what are you worried about? That I’m out rampaging around the place!!” Despite the challenges, Fiona’s strong-willed and independent nature remains, though she sometimes forgets how much she now relies on Martin and others.

Martin noted: “I think possibly the two worst traits you could have if you are going to get this disease are being stubborn and being independent.” He continued: “I’ll say, ‘Fiona, you’ve got to do this.’ She’ll say, ‘I don’t want to.’ And that makes it hard for her, because she has to rely on other people.” Fiona, still bristling with independence, replied, “Like when?” Martin responded, “You’re having to be more reliant on me, and that’s why it will be good to widen the group who know what is happening so there will be other people you can rely on.”

Fiona, diagnosed last year, shared her reflections, saying: “I’m determined to carry on living my best life. I am not my diagnosis. I am still me.” She also wondered whether the years of early mornings while working on GMTV had contributed to her early diagnosis. “Getting my diagnosis was devastating,” she admitted.

In light of Fiona's condition, Martin has decided to step down from his high-pressure role to prioritize his family. He explained: “Next year I’m expecting my family priorities to change so I need to free up time for them. I love my team at ITV and will miss them and the thrill of live telly but it’s an always on, 24 hours a day, seven days a week commitment and I won’t be able to do both.”

Reflecting on his time at ITV, Martin said: “It’s been a privilege to lead truly great presenters and producers, between us we’ve turned out more than six thousand hours of live topical telly, that’s around 20,000 items and whilst the gongs are always nice. I’m most proud of the change we made to so many lives, even saving a fair few with our campaigns on anti suicide, menopause, testicular cancer and ‘how - to’ items. This juggernaut is the toughest test for any broadcast journalist.”

Martin’s departure follows the fallout from the Phillip Schofield scandal earlier in 2023, which led to increased scrutiny of This Morning and calls for an inquiry. Since then, the show has faced a decline in ratings and has undergone significant changes, including the introduction of new permanent hosts, Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, who replaced Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield in mid-March. However, the ratings have dropped significantly just two months later.

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