Fiona Phillips opens up about her Alzheimer’s diagnosis
Fiona Phillips has recalled the last meeting she had with Dame Barbara Windsor admitting “there was pain in her eyes”.
The 62-year-old, who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s herself, said she last saw the EastEnders actress with her husband Scott at the theatre before she died of the disease.
She wrote in her Daily Mirror column: “I can’t recall what we saw, nor which theatre we attended, but I’ve never forgotten seeing Barbara and thinking she was not herself that night.
“The smile was there for everyone, as always, but definitely watered down. And it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Those big blue eyes were smudged with held-back tears. She appeared timid and unsure.”
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She continued: “An image of her, when she spotted me, has stayed in my mind; she looked, waved, came towards me and she had tearfully said, ‘Oh Fiona’ as though we had some shared knowledge of a horrible event.
“There was pain in her eyes – almost a pleading for me to say ‘Yes, I know’.”
Fiona explained she has never forgotten her last meeting with Barbara, adding: “I think about it, the more I see her face, smiling for others, but beyond terrified for herself.
“I can see now that she might have already known that night that something was terribly wrong with her. May she truly rest in peace.”
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On Tuesday, the former GMTV star announced she received her Alzheimer’s diagnosis last year after suffering months of brain fog and anxiety.
Fiona tragically lost both her mother and father to the cruel disease after her grandparents and uncle also battled it.
Despite her health taking a turn, Fiona hopes she “can help find a cure which might make things better for others in the future”.
She said to the Mirror: “This disease has ravaged my family and now it has come for me. And all over the country there are people of all different ages whose lives are being affected by it – it’s heartbreaking.”
The mum-of-two says her condition is in the mild stages and she has been accepted onto a trial for a revolutionary new drug.
She added: “Even if it isn’t helping me, these tests will be helping other people in the future so I just have to keep going.”
Fiona’s former co-stars have shared their support for the presenter following the news of her diagnosis.
Eamonn Holmes shared on GB News: “She always feared it, because her mother had it and her father had it, she always did fear that it would come after her and sadly that has been the case.”
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