Before I Forget

Fiona Phillips is one of the best-loved presenters on television. Well-known for being warm, chatty, and very down to earth, she went to school in Canterbury before studying English at Birmingham University. For more than twelve years she presented GMTV, during which time she interviewed some of the most famous and influential people on the planet. In September 2008 Fiona announced that she was to quit the program, revealing that her father, Phil, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, two years after her mother had died of the same disease. "Alzheimer's has had a huge impact on my life," says Fiona, 48. "It has been devastating, and it partly informed my decision to give up GMTV." When she left her job she was offered a number of book deals, but this project alone appealed to her. The book will be a frank and open account of caring for her parents, and will hopefully act as a rallying point for the hundreds of thousands of people who find themselves in the same horrible situation. The book isn't all sadness, however, and like most trials in life there are lots of lighter moments.