Barbara Windsor’s husband ‘won’t stop searching for a cure’ as Fiona Phillips is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 62
DAME Barbara Windsor's husband has expressed his sadness at Fiona Phillips' Alzheimer's diagnosis.
Scott Mitchell, 60, says he "won't stop searching for a cure' two-and-half years after the same "awful" disease killed his wife.
Last night, broadcaster Fiona, 62, revealed she was battling the disease that has "ravaged" her family.
EastEnders legend Barbara died in December 2020 - six years after being diagnosed with the condition.
Reacting to the news, Scott - an ambassador for Alzheimer's Research UK - told The Sun: "I am so very sad to hear about Fiona. I remember her being so kind about Barbara and I when we went public in 2018 in her own column.
"She personally sent me a lovely supportive message at the time.
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"I am thinking of Fiona and her family.
"We at will not stop until we find treatments to stop this awful disease and keep searching For A Cure."
The broadcaster is best known for being the lead anchor, alongside Eamonn Holmes, on GMTV in the 90s and early noughties.
Fiona joined the show in 1993 as entertainment correspondent, but hit the big time when she was promoted to being the ITV breakfast show's main host.
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But in August 2008, Fiona announced that she was to leave GMTV for "family reasons".
Both of Fiona's late parents - Neville and Amy - died from Alzheimer's, and she has tragic memories of their deterioration.
The cruel blow, which Fiona has been secretly living with for 18 months, has come earlier in life than she had anticipated.
She told : “It’s something I might have thought I’d get at 80. 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.”
She is being supported by her husband Martin Frizell, 64, who has faced his own crisis in recent months as the editor of ITV's This Morning.
The popular star suffered from brain fog and extreme anxiety prior to her diagnosis, which was so bad she feared she'd never work on TV again.
She put it down to the effects of the menopause and said she cried "a thousand rivers" and "feared for her sanity".
She added: "God, it’s horrible, I haven’t worked for the first time in my life, I can’t do television work because I’m so anxious and just scared of everything and I’m not that kind of person at all.
"I have the intent to do everything I used to do, but then your body, your brain, doesn’t let you."
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In April, Scott helped raise £65,500 with by running the London Marathon.
He ran alongside Barbara's former co-stars Lacey Turner, Heather Peace, Natalie Cassidy, Tanya Franks and Adam Woodyatt.
Symptoms in the later stage of Alzheimer’s
BECAUSE it is a progressive disease, the symptoms of Alzheimer's will get worse over time.
Problems with memory loss, language, reasoning and perception will make everyday living more difficult.
But the person may also start to behave in ways that seem unusual or out of character. For example, they may:
- Become agitated or restless
- Pace around
- Call out or
- Repeat the same question over and over again
- React aggressively
- Experience delusions, or less often hallucinations
In the later stages of Alzheimer’s, the person may:
- Have increasing problems with daily living, such as eating and drinking which may lead to weight loss
- Have problems with continence
- Become severely agitated or confused towards the late afternoon or early evening, sometimes known as sundowning
- Experience changes in sleep patterns, such as sleeping more and more during the day
Source: Alzheimer's UK