Former British TV presenter reveals Alzheimer’s diagnosis at 61

British journalist and former TV presenter Fiona Phillips has revealed she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, at age 61.

In an exclusive interview with a British tabloid, Phillips said that the neurodegenerative diseasewhich commonly affects memory, reasoning and mood, had already “decimated” his family.

“My mother, my father, my Uncle Barry. I mean, it goes on and on,” Phillips told the Daily Mirror. “This disease has devastated my family and now it has come for me. And across the country there are people of all ages whose lives are being affected by this – it’s heartbreaking,” she said.

According to the newspaper, Phillips was diagnosed a year ago after suffering from anxiety and brain fog. Though she had hoped to get the news one day, she said it came as a shock, especially as she thought her symptoms were menopause-related.

“It’s something I might have thought I’d achieve at age 80,” she said.

The columnist said she felt more “anger than anything else” with the diagnosis, because Alzheimer’s had already heavily impacted her life and that of many family members. Phillips is currently participating in clinical trials at a London hospital for the drug Miridesap, which can slow the effects of the disease.

“I just hope I can help find a cure that might make things better for other people in the future,” she said.

Phillips added that her husband, fellow TV journalist Martin Frizell, helps her take the medication three times a day.

Asked how she’s coping with her diagnosis, Phillips said she just does what she normally does. “Otherwise, what do I do? I don’t want to not work. I don’t want to sit around playing with my fingers.