Pan Macmillan acquires Remember When: My life with Alzheimer's by much-loved broadcaster Fiona Phillips
Pan Macmillan to publish Remember When by Fiona Phillips, who is writing with the help of husband Martin Frizell and journalist Alison Phillips, a long-standing friend. Publishing director Ingrid Connell acquired world rights, all languages directly from the author and the book will be published on 3 July 2025.
Much-loved broadcaster Fiona Phillips was sixty-one when she discovered that she had early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. She had cared for her parents who had both suffered from the disease and now she was facing the same heartbreaking diagnosis – under no illusions about what it would mean for her and her family.
Much-loved broadcaster Fiona Phillips was sixty-one when she discovered that she had early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. She had cared for her parents who had both suffered from the disease and now she was facing the same heartbreaking diagnosis – under no illusions about what it would mean for her and her family.
With courage and determination, Fiona set out to chronicle what was happening to her in the hope that her book would help others. From the first warning signs – the inability to concentrate and the ‘brain fog’ she wrote off as the menopause – to the gradual loss of her memories and her growing confusion, she reveals how the disease progresses and how she copes. She also shares her experiences with the NHS and the systems that may seem hard for patients and their families to navigate. Her husband Martin offers his perspective too.
Written with Fiona’s trademark honesty, Remember Me is a compelling and moving memoir as well as a book offering an important insight into life with a disease that will impact many of us.
Fiona Phillips says:
“I hope this book can show people a little about what it is like to live with Alzheimer’s. How frightening and confusing it is. But also how much life can still bring joy and be valued. And if you or someone you love is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, I hope this book brings you some comfort. I want you to know, you are not alone.”
Ingrid Connell, Publishing Director at Pan Macmillan, comments:
“As a broadcaster Fiona was known to be warm, empathetic and honest, and those very qualities are what makes this book stand out. She refuses to sugar-coat the truth about Alzheimer’s and her positivity and desire to help others impacted by the disease are inspirational.”
Fiona Phillips presented GMTV on ITV for many years, and fronted several BBC documentaries and episodes of Panorama, although she was most proud of being one of the Daily Mirror’s longest-serving columnists. She made two documentaries on her family’s history of Alzheimer’s, Mum, Dad, Alzheimer’s and Me and My Family and Alzheimer’s and was an ambassador for Alzheimer’s UK. Her TV work stopped in 2018, when she started to suffer from anxiety. In 2022, she announced that she had early-onset dementia.