Fiona Phillips health update: Martin Frizell quits This Morning for his wife as she battles Alzheimer’s

Martin Frizell will leave This Morning in Spring 2025 and at this stage, a replacement has not been announced. He said: “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 love 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.” Martin Frizell also thanked his team and 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 the gongs are always nice.”

Kevin Lygo, ITV’s managing director for media and entertainment thanked Martin Frizell for his work as This morning editor and said: “ This Morning is an iconic show in ITV’s schedule, and heading the team for a decade, producing more than ten hours of original, topical, live television every week is an amazing achievement.

“As a programme and a brand, Martin has made sure the show continues to be a household name, an award-winning staple of the schedule with a growing successful presence in digital and social.

“On behalf of the ITV Network, we thank Martin and wish him the very best for his future ventures.”

When was Fiona Phillips diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease?

Former GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2023. She told The Mirror that she discovered she had the disease after suffering months of brain fog and anxiety. She revealed that “It’s something I might have thought I’d get at 80.” She also said: “But I was still only 61 years old. I felt more angry than anything else because this disease has already impacted my life in so many ways; my poor mum was crippled with it, then my dad, my grandparents, my uncle. It just keeps coming back for us.”

When Fiona Phillips was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the Alzheimer’s Society said: “Since becoming an Ambassador in 2007, Fiona has been hugely supportive of Alzheimer's Society. She frequently speaks about her mother and father, who both had Alzheimer's disease, to raise awareness and support other families caring for a relative with dementia.”

How long have Martin Frizell and Fiona Phillips been married, do they have children?

Martin Frizell and Fiona Phillips have been married since 1997. Martin reportedly proposed to Fiona after only four weeks of dating and they wed in Las Vegas. The couple are parents to two sons, Nathaniel and Mackenzie.

Read Marina Licht’s celeb and entertainment news alongside the biggest headlines in Friday’s NationalWorld newsletter

How is Fiona Phillips’s health?

In February 2024, Fiona Phillips made a rare appearance at the funeral of Kate Garraway’s husband Derek Draper. In an interview with Woman & Home magazine, Fiona explained that she had been put on a clinical trial and the signs had been positive. She said: “I'm hopeful that the drug is holding the disease where it is. I'd rather not have to be on the trial but I'm very grateful I am.

“There are risks, including bleeding on the brain, so I'm a guinea pig, but there's a real chance it could help.”