05 July 2023 , 08:22
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Fiona Phillips' announcement confirming her Alzheimer's diagnosis left her former GMTV colleague Dr Hilary Jones emotional on GMB today.
The veteran broadcaster explained in a candid interview that she was diagnosed last year after both her parents and her uncle had suffered from the condition.
But despite the devastating news, Fiona, now 62, hopes to end the stigma surrounding the neurological condition and explained that she is trialling a groundbreaking drug which could potentially reverse the symptoms.
Fiona opened up to the Mirror editor Alison Phillips just one year after her shock diagnosis and said the condition has "ravaged" her family over the years.
Dr Hilary appeared emotional as he discussed Fiona Phillips' health news (ITV)During an appearance on Good Morning Britain, Dr Hilary, said: "I worked with Fiona for ten years at GMTV. Lovely person, very warm, very welcoming to all of her guests, very knowledgeable, as you say, mischievous and fun. My heart goes out to her, sending her all my love.
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"I'm so glad she's spoken out about this to raise awareness to help other people. She's on the trial, miridesap, is the drug that she's taking which is designed to reduce the amount of amyloid protein which clogs up the nerve cells and stops the neurotransmitters from enabling brain cells to communicate with one another.
"She doesn't know whether she's on the active drug or a placebo, it's a double-blinded study at UCH (University College Hospital), however, it will help in the future, to determine which drugs they're trialling will help to halt or even reverse the condition."
While ageing is the most prominent possible cause of the condition, Dr Hilary went on to say: "If both of your parents are under 65 when they develop dementia, the chances that you've inherited one faulty gene are increased making you more likely to develop early-onset dementia yourself.
Fiona, 62, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease"Amy, Fiona's mother was 53 when she had the first signs of dementia and her father was in his early 60s, Neville."
Speaking to the Mirror, Fiona said: "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, and my uncle. It just keeps coming back for us."
Fiona's two sons, Nat, aged 24, and Mackenzie, 21, were tested for the gene with results coming back stating they do not carry it. The broadcaster hopes that by going public, she will be able to help break the stigma which surrounds the condition as well as offer comfort to those who may be going through a similar experience.