Fiona Phillips’ husband Martin Frizell has opened up about the heartwrenching moment in her Alzheimer’s battle, when the former TV presenter failed to recognise their own son. The 66-year-old who quit his This Morning editor role last year to care for his wife after her diagnosis, shared devastating details about her health in their new book.

Martin revealed that things were even tougher than they initially disclosed, as Fiona had been battling a different undisclosed illness for months, which he believes worsened her Alzheimer’s. He shared that at one point, she was “close to delirium,” before the heartbreaking moment Fiona thought their eldest son Nathaniel, 26, was an intruder. In their book titled Remember When, her husband recalls: “One weekend, Nat was home from the Army and making tea in the kitchen while Fiona and I sat watching television. 

“She became terribly distressed. ‘Who’s that man in the kitchen?’ she asked me. That’s Nat,’ I said gently. ‘Our son. He’s home for the weekend.’ She was in such a state that she didn’t even seem upset that she had asked the question.”

In the book, Martin wrote that he’s certain the 26-year-old didn’t hear the comment; otherwise, he would have been “devastated.” The couple’s younger son, Mackenzie, 23, still resides at home, and just like his older brother, he has been a tremendous support to his mother. 

At the time of her diagnosis, Fiona held off from telling her sons as she and Martin were terrified they might also be predisposed to early-onset Alzheimer’s, as both of Fiona’s parents and several close family members had suffered severely from the disease.

She previously shared that her parents were affected in very different, but equally distressing ways.

According to healthcare professionals, Fiona didn’t directly inherit the disease from her parents, but rather genetic traits that made her “predisposed” or more susceptible to getting it. Martin and Fiona later discovered that their boys were not at the same heightened risk.

Despite this, Martin revealed it hasn’t been easy for their sons to witness the dramatic decline of their once vibrant mum’s health as he stated: “It’s tough for them.

“They see their mum like this and it’s very upsetting,” he said. “But what choice do we have but to keep on going?”

In an early chapter of their book, an emotional Fiona shares her longing for the everyday mundane moments with her family and her fear that she’ll forget them, as she penned: “I want to watch Chelsea beat Arsenal 3–0 at home.

“I want our son Nat to come home on leave from the Army and give me one of his bear-like hugs. I want our youngest son Mackenzie to bring me a cup of tea and a biscuit when we sit watching TV together. I want to be me.”