Fiona Phillips gives update on dementia diagnosis as she reveals its taken so many members of my family
British TV legend Fiona Phillips has revealed that she believes her stint on breakfast television may have contributed to her early Alzheimer's diagnosis.
The television presenter, who has been in the TV industry for decades, announced that she had been diagnosed with the disease in July this year aged just 61.
Opening up about her life, Fiona, now 62, said she often wonders if 3am starts for 11 years while she was presenting ITV's GMTV between 1997 and 2008 contributed to getting the disease so early.
She said: "I ask myself why I got this dreadful disease. I wonder whether all the years of getting up so early when I was working on GMTV contributed to me getting Alzheimer's so young."
Fiona, who worked alongside Eamonn Holmes on the show which began at 6am, has now been put on a drugs trial to try and slow down the symptoms.
In an interview with Women&Home magazine, Fiona said: "I'm on a clinical trial and the signs are positive.
"I'm taking part in a revolutionary drug trial that's trying to find a cure. It involves a brand-new drug and a placebo, and I have no idea which one I'm on.
"When I went for my six-month check-up in October, they did cognitive tests to see where my brain was at, which showed that I was in the same place as I was the previous year.
"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."
Fiona has since opened up about her family history with Alzheimer's, as both her parents also had it.
She added: "It's taken so many members of my family and now it's come for me, this bloody disease. But I am not my diagnosis, I am still me."
At first, Fiona admitted that she dismissed her early symptoms for the menopause.
She said she noticed the change in herself around two years ago when she became more tired and suffered with brain fog.
Fiona said: "Getting my diagnosis was devastating. It was about two years ago that I started to realise something wasn’t quite right.
"Initially, I put my symptoms, like getting confused and fatigued, down to menopause, even though I hadn't suffered from them before. Menopause kind of covers everything, doesn't it?"
Despite the news, Fiona is adamant she will still live her life as normal as possible, she added: "I know I can still have a great life. I'm just getting on with things.
"I'm pretending it hasn't happened and not giving it any space in my life at the moment. Or as little as I can. I've still got so much I want to do."
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