Fiona Phillips, 65, beams in rare snap amid her battle with Alzheimer's as husband Martin Frizell reveals hope for a 'proper care system' for those suffering

Fiona Phillips's husband Martin Frizell shared a rare snap of the presenter on Wednesday, amid her battle with Alzheimer's.The former GMTV star, 65, was only 61 when she was told she had developed the disease, a progressive, incurable brain disorder that causes a decline in memory, thinking and behaviour. Martin posted a snap of his wife on Instagram, while sharing how the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham's calls for health and social care reform will finally bring hope to those suffering.Martin shared a snap of Fiona enjoying her breakfast at their home, with the caption: 'Fiona at breakfast today, at one point she was going to work with Andy Burnham as Health Secretary when Gordon Brown asked her to become a health minister in his government. 'If the new Prime Minister, who knows what Alzheimer's can do from his father's experience, follows through on making a difference to sufferers like Fiona, his dad and millions of others then he will become the most consequential politician of his generation. Fiona Phillips's husband Martin Frizell shared a rare snap of the presenter on Wednesday, amid her battle with Alzheimer's 'For decades no-one listened, dementia became the poor relation to cancer and yet it's our biggest killer. 'Sadly it's taken someone touched by dementia to take it seriously but how will we afford to treat it properly? 'Who knows but when your family life is altered forever by a dementia diagnosis you won't be quibbling about one or two per cent extra you've contributed to provide to a proper care system.'Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.In the four years since Fiona's diagnosis, Martin has been fighting for an improved government policy to support people with Alzheimer's and their families. The Prime Minister insisted he would stick to Labour's existing manifesto commitments on not hiking income tax, National Insurance or VAT in this Parliament.The PM also suggested that savings from the NHS from resolving the social care crisis could help fund a reformed system.He said it costs the NHS around £2.5billion a year to have people kept in hospital even though they are medically fit to leave because there is no suitable care available in the community.He also warned the lack of a 'preventative front-end social care service' stopping people from going into hospital in the first place was costing the NHS 'several billion pounds a year'.'I think we owe it to the public before we talk about tax rises' to 'do more with what you've got', the PM added.In an 'ideal world' nobody would have to sell their home to pay for their care, Mr Burnham said. The former GMTV star was only 61 when she was told she had developed the disease, a progressive, incurable brain disorder (pictured in 2018) Martin said: 'Who knows but when your family life is altered forever by a dementia diagnosis you won't be quibbling about one or two per cent extra you've contributed to provide to a proper care system', (the couple pictured in 2016) Mr Burnham said he had learned from his previous attempt at social care reform when he was health secretary in Gordon Brown's government between 2009 and 2010.'We probably left the reform too late in that Parliament, and it got too close to a general election,' he said.'Learning from that, that's why I'm bringing forward one of the reasons why I'm bringing forward Louise's review, because I think it's better to do it sooner and further away from an election, and that answers another story for the media, doesn't it? That there's no election on the horizon. I think it's best to deal with it early and to listen.'Mr Burnham said he was intent on reforming social care for his father, who has Alzheimer's, and 'the millions like him up and down the country'.'This is huge for me,' he added. 'I know this will require me to put what political capital I have on the table and it could wear down that political capital in some ways.'But I'm prepared to do it. I'm prepared to do it because this has gone on too long. The risks of failing to act are too great.'Martin recently opened up about the 'wretched' effects of his wife's ongoing battle, as he took to Lorraine to call for the government to do more to find a cure for the disease.He sat down with Lorraine Kelly on her self-titled show to issue an update on how Fiona was doing after she was diagnosed.Martin quit his position at ITV after 10 years in charge to be 'around much more' for wife Fiona in 2024 - and helped write her memoir, Remember When.Opening up on her worsening condition, Martin said that he had battled 'slipping into a depression' as he cared for Fiona, and watched her 'slip away'.He told Lorraine: 'She doesn't remember Valentine's Day, she doesn't remember Christmas now, she doesn't remember New Year's.'It's wretched... not just for her but for the family as well.'She's still there, but day by day, we can see it slipping away - and just to sit there and see this person who was, as you know was the most dynamic, bubbly, and had so much pride in how she dressed and what she did - it's just a loss of dignity...'People do ask, "Are you okay?" and I used to say, "It's not me, don't worry about me", but I am conscious that I've never been a depressive person but I can slip into that.'My respite is work, I've gone back to broadcasting, and podcasting... but I still feel guilty, I feel guilty being here [away from Fiona].'Martin went on to reveal the ways he could see Fiona fighting her worsening condition, praising her for being a 'stubborn woman'.'I don't want to give the impression she's some sort of basket case as she's very much with us, she still is the world's most stubborn woman, and she's still around the house,' the broadcaster continued.'We play her a lot of Rod Stewart, when she was a reporter she interviewed him and they became friends, he called her Doris - and I think she's a contender for Rochelle and Marvin Humes' The Hit List because she can do all the tunes.'Martin hit out at the government for not doing more to find a cure for the disease - and hit out at the then-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting.He noted that since Fiona's book was published in July 2025, he had not noticed 'anyone speaking' about Alzheimer's.The couple live with their two sons, Nathaniel, 26 and Mackenzie, 23, who also have to entertain their mother's terrifying delusions – one of which required Martin to pretend that he has smuggled his wife away from her parents.He told This Morning: 'Fiona and I leave as if I am taking her home.'We walk around the block as she loudly proclaims, "I'll never forgive you for tricking me," and passers-by stare; then we are back home again, where she goes in and greets Mackenzie as if she hasn't seen him for days.'Despite seeing the diagnosis coming as his wife became increasingly withdrawn and anxious, Martin said when it finally came it was 'awful'.'You realise that there are around 70,000 people who have early-onset Alzheimer's and there is not a lot of help out there,' he added.'As a family we are just kind of left to get through it and at some point we will need more support but there's just nothing really.'You become kind of invisible', he told the Telegraph in a recent interview.'If you mention the word Alzheimer's or dementia, it brings it to the front and it's upsetting because she knows the way it's going,' he also wrote in the book.