Fiona Phillips attended Derek Draper’s funeral despite her Alzheimer’s diagnosis

Phillips, a former presenter on ITV daytime's GM: TV from 1993 to 2008, shared her Alzheimer's diagnosis with the Mirror in July of last year. Fiona Phillips attended Derek Draper's funeral to support the grieving Kate Garraway. Fiona Phillips attended Derek Draper's funeral today despite her rare public appearances. She was a presenter on the breakfast show GMTV from 1993 to 2008. In July last year, she bravely shared her Alzheimer's diagnosis with the Mirror a year after being diagnosed. Fiona's parents both died of the disease. She is currently participating in clinical trials for a drug to treat the degenerative disease, hoping to slow it down. The broadcaster, who is 63 years old, made a rare public appearance to support her friend Kate Garraway at Derek's funeral. Derek passed away in early January after suffering many complications from Covid-19. He was laid to rest at the Church of St Mary The Virgin in London on Friday morning. Derek fell seriously ill during the early part of the pandemic in March 2020 and spent 13 months in the hospital before being discharged. He passed away on January 3 at the age of 56 after experiencing long-lasting symptoms from coronavirus. Many of Kate's television colleagues, including Fiona, Ben Shephard, Charlotte Hawkins, and Susanna Reid, attended the funeral. Fiona arrived at the church with her husband and This Morning editor, Martin Frizell. The star held hands with her husband as they walked into the church for the funeral. She recently talked about her diagnosis and how she planned to continue living her life to the fullest. She said: About two years ago, I noticed something was wrong. At first, I attributed my symptoms, such as confusion and fatigue, to menopause. However, the anxiety and brain fog I experienced with menopause were different from what I was experiencing now. Alzheimer's runs in my family, but I never allowed myself to consider that it might affect me one day. Fiona is optimistic that the drug trial will help slow the progression of the disease. She shared her hopes with Woman & Home magazine last year. The presenter is participating in a drug trial, but she doesn't know if she's taking the new drug or the placebo. In October, she underwent cognitive tests that showed no decline from the previous year. She hopes the drug is keeping the disease at bay. She hopes the drug is keeping the disease at bay. Despite her diagnosis, the presenter has plans for the future, including traveling with her husband and downsizing to enjoy their retirement. Despite her diagnosis, the presenter has plans for the future, including traveling with her husband and continuing to enjoy their retirement. However, Fiona revealed that the disease has changed her as a person. She now speaks her mind a lot more, and her husband Martin agrees, saying that she has no filter.