Latest news with #Nathaniel
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Fiona Phillips' husband recalls heartbreaking moment she didn't recognise their son amid Alzheimer's battle
Fiona Phillips' husband Martin Frizell has opened up about the painful moment the TV presenter failed to recognise their eldest son during her ongoing battle with Alzheimer's disease. The Kent-born journalist, 64, announced in 2023 that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, after initially thinking she was having menopause symptoms when she first started experiencing 'brain fog and anxiety'. Alzheimer's is described as the most common cause of dementia, which is the name for a group of symptoms associated with an ongoing decline of brain function, according to the NHS website. In her upcoming memoir Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer's, Frizell, 66, recalls the moment Phillips became 'terribly distressed' after not recognising Nathaniel, 26. In an extract published in The Mirror, Frizell penned: 'One weekend, Nat was home from the Army and making tea in the kitchen while Fiona and I sat watching television. 'She became terribly distressed. 'Who's that man in the kitchen?' she asked me. 'That's Nat', I said gently. 'Our son. He's home for the weekend'. 'She was in such a state that she didn't even seem upset that she had asked the question.' He wrote that while Nat would have been 'devastated' had he heard it, he thankfully wasn't present at the time. The couple have previously spoken about their fear that the illness could be inherited by their kids; Nathaniel and Mackenzie, 23. When the presenter was first diagnosed, both she and Frizell were deeply concerned that the disease might be genetic and could potentially affect their sons in the future. However, after undergoing genetic testing, they were relived to learn they weren't in danger of inheriting the disease. Recently, Frizell recalled how the former GMTV presenter thought he had kidnapped her because of 'delusions' brought on by Alzheimer's disease. Speaking on ITV's This Morning, Frizell said: 'She'd love to be here, but she's got anxiety. 'She's got a kind of a secondary problem that causes her to be in pain, a lot, a lot of pain, which adds to the confusion. So it's difficult. 'In the book, there's a picture of her at the end of our road, picking the most recent picture I took, only a few weeks ago, and she's looking great, and she's kind of smiling, and she's got a coat on and what you don't know is, she thought I'd kidnapped her.' He explained that the condition causes 'all sort of delusions', adding that Phillips would get 'kind of worked up'. Frizell added: 'She does recognise me most of the times. Doesn't quite know that I'm her husband, but she knows who I am. 'On these occasions, and it's not frequent, but every now and then, she'll want to go home to her parents. I haven't got the heart to say they aren't here. 'What you do is, you say, 'Let's get our coats on, let's get our shoes on', we go up around the block a couple of times and come back in. And she says, 'Oh, I'm home now'.' Frizell announced in November that he was stepping down as the editor of This Morning, after a decade in the post, saying he was expecting 'family priorities to change' and needed to free up time for them. He oversaw the long-running morning show as it won numerous awards, including a Bafta and seven National Television Awards. Phillips is best known for presenting GMTV from 1993 to 2008, before going on to head up a number of documentaries and episodes of Panorama. She quit TV in 2018 after she started to suffer from anxiety and was also one of the Mirror's longest-serving columnists. Phillips cared for her parents after both of them were also diagnosed with the condition and has made two documentaries about the disease, one in 2009 called Mum, Dad, Alzheimer's And Me, about her family's history of dementia, and My Family And Alzheimer's in 2010. She has also served as an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society.
Los Angeles Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Violinist has the world on 2 strings
Nathaniel was shy in our first encounter a few months ago, if not a little wary. He took a step back when I approached to say I liked the way his violin music turned the clatter around downtown L.A.'s Pershing Square into an urban symphony. 'Oh, thank you very much,' he said politely, apologizing for his appearance. He had gone through a couple of recent setbacks, Nathaniel said, but he intended to be whole again soon and playing at a higher level. Next time I saw him, he had relocated to the mouth of the 2nd Street tunnel near Hill Street. 'Well, first of all, it's beautiful here,' said Nathaniel, 54, who told me he had been diagnosed many years ago with schizophrenia. 'And right there is the Los Angeles Times building. New York, Cleveland, Los Angeles. All I have to do is look up at that building and I know where I am.' Nathaniel had an orange shopping cart that contained all of his belongings, including a huge plastic water gun, a single black boot and his violin case. We were practically in the shadow of the new Disney Concert Hall, and although Nathaniel said he wasn't sure where it was, he had written the following on the side of his shopping cart: 'Little Walt Disney Concert Hall — Beethoven.' Nathaniel plays classical music, some of it recognizable to me, some of it not. One day, I asked if he could play jazz, and he tucked the violin under his chin, closed his eyes in anticipation of the ecstasy that music brings him and began to play 'Summertime.' He doesn't always hit every note, but it's abundantly clear that Nathaniel has been a student of music for many years. 'That was Ernest Bloch,' he casually told me after one piece, spelling out Ernest and then Bloch. 'Opus 18, No. 1.' I was more than a little impressed, especially when it occurred to me that Nathaniel's grimy, smudged violin was missing two of the four strings. 'Yeah,' he said, frustration rising in his brown eyes. 'This one's gone, that one's gone and this little guy's almost out of commission. You see where it's coming apart right here?' Playing with two strings wasn't that hard, he said, because he began his music education in the Cleveland public schools, where the instruments were often a challenge. 'If you got one with one or two strings,' he said, 'you were happy to have it.' I noticed an empty bag from Studio City Music in Nathaniel's violin case and gave the store a call to ask if they had a homeless customer. 'Black man?' asked Hans Benning, a violin maker. 'We do have a guy who plays with a badly beaten-up fiddle. He comes here every so often. He's very kind, very gentle and very proper. He's a delight.' I told Benning his name is Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, and he seems to know a thing or two about music. 'Yes, he does,' Benning said. 'He talks about the Beethoven sonatas and then slips back into another world.' The reason he used to hang around Pershing Square, Nathaniel told me, was so he could study the Beethoven statue for inspiration. 'I've never seen anything in my life that great,' he said. 'I'm flabbergasted by that statue because I can't imagine how he's there. I don't know how God is operating.' When I asked more about his training, Nathaniel told me he had gone to Ohio University and Ohio State University. He also said he'd played many times at the Aspen Music Festival, and he'd gone to Juilliard for two years in the early '70s. Juilliard? I asked. 'I was there for a couple of years,' he said, as if it were nothing. While waiting for a callback from Juilliard, I called Motter's Music House in Lyndhurst, Ohio. Nathaniel told me he had bought many instruments there over the years, including the Glaesel violin he now owns. 'He's an outstanding player,' said Ron Guzzo, a manager at Motter's. He saw a lot of Nathaniel over a span of 20 years, because Nathaniel's instruments were often stolen from him on the streets. He would work at a Wendy's or shovel snow to save up for another. 'As I understand it, he was at Juilliard and got sick, so he came back home. He'd sit out in our parking lot on a nice day playing the cello, and we'd wonder where the heck that was coming from. It was Tony,' Guzzo said, using Nathaniel's nickname. Cello? Yes, it turns out Nathaniel started on the bass, switched to cello and has never had any training on the violin. He switched to the latter after ending up on the streets, because it fits more neatly into his shopping cart. Everything he had told me about his life was checking out, so I figured Juilliard must be for real too. Sure enough. Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, who sleeps on the streets of the city, takes his meals at the Midnight Mission and plays a two-string violin, attended the acclaimed New York City music school on a scholarship. Nathaniel told me a bass player named Homer Mensch was one of his mentors at Juilliard. Mensch, 91, is still teaching, and he immediately recalled Nathaniel. 'He had the talent, that was for sure,' said Mensch, who remembered that Nathaniel had suddenly disappeared, never to return. I told him Nathaniel's illness had begun while he was at Juilliard and he was now a homeless violinist in downtown L.A. 'Give him my very best,' said Mensch. 'I would certainly like to hear from him.' Nathaniel has memorized the phone numbers of the people who inspired him. To recall the numbers, he writes them in mid-air with his index finger. One day he gave me the home phone number of Harry Barnoff, a bass player and former teacher who recently retired after 46 years with the Cleveland Orchestra. Barnoff was in tears at the memory of Nathaniel. 'Please,' Barnoff pleaded, 'you have got to go tell him how much I think of him and that I still remember what a wonderful musician he was.' Barnoff says Nathaniel was a bit of a slacker when he was in junior high and taking lessons at the Cleveland Music School Settlement. But with encouragement, Nathaniel set the highest possible goals for himself. 'During the riots, he was in the music building, practicing. He really worked at it and got to where he knew I had gone to Juilliard, and he wanted to go, too. ... Next thing I knew, he got a scholarship.' Nathaniel had the potential to play with any of the major orchestras in the United States, Barnoff said. He tried to help Nathaniel through his most difficult times, offering him work around his house and taking Nathaniel's calls from mental hospitals and the streets. Nathaniel was often in a state of distress, Barnoff says of his former student, until they began talking about music. And then everything was right with the world. 'He once sent me a card saying he would give his left hand for me,' Barnoff said. I got hold of Nathaniel's sister, Jennifer Ayers-Moore, at her home in Fayetteville, Ga. She was relieved to hear that her older brother is OK but disturbed to know he's on the streets — again. He was never the same after he got back from New York, Ayers-Moore said, and he has been in and out of hospitals and group homes for three decades. Time after time, he has tested the patience of the people who love him. 'It got to the point where he didn't want to talk to anybody and didn't want to be in reality. I couldn't watch the movie 'A Beautiful Mind,' because every stitch of it reminded me of Nathaniel.' As do so many schizophrenics, Ayers-Moore says, her brother would improve with medication but then refuse to take it and slip back into his tortured world. 'It was very difficult for my mother, because he would curse her out, call her names, threaten her. When we went to visit her in the nursing home on her birthday, she looked at me and said, 'I miss Tony.' He was her pride and joy, and she did everything she possibly could to help him.' Nathaniel talks often of his mother, expressing his love in his own way. 'She was a beautician,' he said. 'That's beauty. And music is beauty, so I guess that's why I started playing.' Nathaniel came west after his mother's death five years ago. He hooked up with his estranged father and other relatives but soon found the streets. 'It's an absolute dream here, and I notice that everyone is smiling,' Nathaniel said at 2nd and Hill, where he sometimes steps into the tunnel to hear the echo of his violin. 'The sun is out all day, and the nights are cool and serene.' Nathaniel often takes a rock and scrawls names on the sidewalk. 'Oh, those,' he said. 'A lot of those are the names of my classmates at Juilliard.' One day I asked about his hopes and dreams. 'Oh, that's easy,' he said. 'I need to get these other two strings, but I don't have the money right now.' He had no use for a house, he said, or a car or anything else. 'All I want is to play music, and the crisis I'm having is right here,' Nathaniel said, pointing to the missing strings and calling out the names of Itzhak Perlman and Jascha Heifetz, as if the renowned violinists might hear his plea and send along the strings. Nathaniel refused to accept money from me or freebies from Studio City Music. I suggested he go back to Pershing Square, where passersby often dropped money in his violin case, but it didn't seem logical to him. When I brought him a new set of strings from Studio City Music, I had to insist that he not pay me for them. He had trouble attaching the strings because his violin is in such bad shape. But by the next day, he had jury-rigged them and was happy to give me a show at his Little Walt Disney Concert Hall. I had invited two staffers from Lamp Community, a service agency for homeless, mentally ill men and women. Maybe they could get his trust, I figured, and determine whether they could help him at some point. But as Nathaniel began to play, I doubted there was anyone or anything that could deliver the same peace that music brings him. He was in his sanctuary, eyes half-mast in tribute to the masters. As cars roared by and trash flew off a dump truck, Nathaniel was oblivious. He played a Mendelssohn concerto, a Beethoven concerto and the Brahms double concerto for violin and cello, his bow gliding effortlessly as it sliced through the madness. * The columnist can be reached at
The Irish Sun
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘Ominous signs' as Willie Mullins makes a scene spending £1m at sales with rich history of Cheltenham Festival winners
THERE were 'ominous signs' for his rivals as Willie Mullins made a scene spending over £1million at a sales proven for Cheltenham Festival winners. The Closutton boss signed for nine horses in all with top lot among his purchases being a Nathaniel gelding out of former Nicky Henderson mare Floressa. 1 Willie Mullins and right-hand man Harold Kirk splashed more than £1million on top talent at the Tattersalls Derby Sale - a proven hunting ground for Cheltenham Festival winners Mullins has had two Nathaniels before and both have won at the Festival. Burning Victory won the While the late Concertista won the Mares' Novices' Hurdle the same year. But they were out of Flat mares, whereas this new kid on the block is bred for the jumping game. Every Willie Mullins purchase By Sam Morgan The reigning Irish and British champion jumps trainer bought nine horses at the sales all in all. Here they are in full: £150,000 - Nathaniel gelding £140,000 - Messire Corton - half-bro to Grade 1 winner Black Corton £135,000 - Fontaine L'Abbe - a three-year-old gelding by Goliath Du Berlais £128,000 - Miss Mam - a Masked Marvel filly £120,000 - Crystal Ocean gelding £111,000 - Masked L'As - a three-year-old Masked Marvel gelding £105,000 - Mystic Des Bordes - granddam is the mother of Kopek Des Bordes £102,000 - Mystere Du Chenet - a three-year-old Doctor Dino gelding £50,000 - King Of The Blue - gelding related to former Listed Prix Wild Monarch winner Fiumicino Total spend: £1,041,000 Mullins and his sales guru Harold Kirk went to a shade over £150,000 to land lot 138 who, through his dam's sire Poliglote, can be linked to current Mullins superstar Fact To File as well as former champs Politologue and Don Poli. The three-year-old gelding was immediately given a future target - the €100,000 Tattersalls Ireland MSL Mercedes-Benz Sales Bumper in December. The second most expensive purchase made by the all-conquering trainer was £140,000 Messire Corton - a half-brother to Black Corton. The Paul Nicholls-trained Black Corton put Bryony Frost on the map and was a 14-time winner including the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices' Chase at Kempton. Most read in Horse Racing Of the nine purchases Mullins made only one cost less than £100,000. Mullins had three Cheltenhan Festival winners from this sale last year alone in the shape of Kopek Des Bordes, Lecky Watson and Final Demand. It's clearly been a happy hunting ground for him and he told Tattersalls about why he loves this sale so much. He said: "I've got a nice few horses - it's been a lucky place for us. "I like the type of horses that are sold here and they've been good to us - so why change? "The Nathaniel gelding is out of a jumping pedigree - we've had two Cheltenham winners out of Nathaniel with a Flat pedigree. "We're very happy with the purchases. Goliath Du Berlais is a nice stallion coming through too and we always look at his stock. "I get Harold to do all the work! "Sales are not my first love so he's quite busy for the two or three days before the sales, he whittles them down, we have a look and we make a decision then when they're in the ring. "I'm very happy with the value I'm getting here. "I'll put saddles on these horses as soon as I can. Why let them go out in a field? "I believe in getting stuck into them straight away." Kirk added: "We've bought more horses here this year than we ever have. "If you go back years we had Cousin Vinny, Wicklow Brave and Pique Sous from this sale." Mullins has had a busy few days having saddled a winner at Royal Ascot as well. He was in the Royal Procession on Saturday - hours before Sober claimed the Queen Alexandra under Ryan Moore. He looked to be travelling incredibly well in the Ascot Stakes but couldn't find a run through when it mattered most. He's also been keeping tabs on the sales, with his most expensive purchase of the season so far being the FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Read more on the Irish Sun Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
The Sun
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘Ominous signs' as Willie Mullins makes a scene spending £1m at sales with rich history of Cheltenham Festival winners
THERE were 'ominous signs' for his rivals as Willie Mullins made a scene spending over £1million at a sales proven for Cheltenham Festival winners. The Closutton boss signed for nine horses in all with top lot among his purchases being a Nathaniel gelding out of former Nicky Henderson mare Floressa. 1 Mullins has had two Nathaniels before and both have won at the Festival. Burning Victory won the infamous 2020 Triumph Hurdle that saw Goshen unship Jamie Moore at the last when miles clear. While the late Concertista won the Mares' Novices' Hurdle the same year. But they were out of Flat mares, whereas this new kid on the block is bred for the jumping game. Every Willie Mullins purchase By Sam Morgan The reigning Irish and British champion jumps trainer bought nine horses at the sales all in all. Here they are in full: £150,000 - Nathaniel gelding £140,000 - Messire Corton - half-bro to Grade 1 winner Black Corton £135,000 - Fontaine L'Abbe - a three-year-old gelding by Goliath Du Berlais £128,000 - Miss Mam - a Masked Marvel filly £120,000 - Crystal Ocean gelding £111,000 - Masked L'As - a three-year-old Masked Marvel gelding £105,000 - Mystic Des Bordes - granddam is the mother of Kopek Des Bordes £102,000 - Mystere Du Chenet - a three-year-old Doctor Dino gelding £50,000 - King Of The Blue - gelding related to former Listed Prix Wild Monarch winner Fiumicino Total spend: £1,041,000 Mullins and his sales guru Harold Kirk went to a shade over £150,000 to land lot 138 who, through his dam's sire Poliglote, can be linked to current Mullins superstar Fact To File as well as former champs Politologue and Don Poli. The three-year-old gelding was immediately given a future target - the €100,000 Tattersalls Ireland MSL Mercedes-Benz Sales Bumper in December. The second most expensive purchase made by the all-conquering trainer was £140,000 Messire Corton - a half-brother to Black Corton. The Paul Nicholls-trained Black Corton put Bryony Frost on the map and was a 14-time winner including the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices' Chase at Kempton. Of the nine purchases Mullins made only one cost less than £100,000. Mullins had three Cheltenhan Festival winners from this sale last year alone in the shape of Kopek Des Bordes, Lecky Watson and Final Demand. It's clearly been a happy hunting ground for him and he told Tattersalls about why he loves this sale so much. He said: "I've got a nice few horses - it's been a lucky place for us. "I like the type of horses that are sold here and they've been good to us - so why change? "The Nathaniel gelding is out of a jumping pedigree - we've had two Cheltenham winners out of Nathaniel with a Flat pedigree. "We're very happy with the purchases. Goliath Du Berlais is a nice stallion coming through too and we always look at his stock. "I get Harold to do all the work! "Sales are not my first love so he's quite busy for the two or three days before the sales, he whittles them down, we have a look and we make a decision then when they're in the ring. "I'm very happy with the value I'm getting here. "I'll put saddles on these horses as soon as I can. Why let them go out in a field? "I believe in getting stuck into them straight away." Kirk added: "We've bought more horses here this year than we ever have. "If you go back years we had Cousin Vinny, Wicklow Brave and Pique Sous from this sale." Mullins has had a busy few days having saddled a winner at Royal Ascot as well. He was in the Royal Procession on Saturday - hours before Sober claimed the Queen Alexandra under Ryan Moore. Mullins will take aim at a number of the money-spinning Flat races over the summer, possibly with King Charles' horse Reaching High. He looked to be travelling incredibly well in the Ascot Stakes but couldn't find a run through when it mattered most. £300,000 paid for the hugely promising Poetisa. Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Yahoo
Four Receive Suspended Sentences for Hate Crimes Against Vinicius Jr.
Parents of boy who died from fentanyl exposure want accountability | Banfield Marcy Castro and Miguel Mendoza join NewsNation after the December death of their 10-year-old son, Nathaniel, who succumbed to the effects of fentanyl exposure. Police say Christina Alvarez, girlfriend of the victim's uncle, stored the drug unsafely in the home. She's now charged with felony child endangerment, but Nathaniel's family says that's not enough. 6:04 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
