Fern Britton discusses life transformation and new beginnings after series of personal challenges

TV presenter and author Fern Britton has opened up about the tough time she faced after losing her beloved mum Ruth in 2018 and then her dad the following year

Fern Britton has opened up about a difficult period in her life that she'd rather forget, which was made even more challenging by the Covid lockdown. The popular TV presenter had to deal with a series of personal tragedies, including the loss of both her parents and the end of her marriage to chef Phil Vickery.

Reflecting on this tough time, Fern said: "My mum died and a year later my father died and the next year my marriage died. I fell into this era of indolence I call it, where I just started just lying in bed later and later and later. And then really, what was the purpose of getting up and getting dressed or getting showered or cleaning my teeth because I will soon be back in bed."

She added: "Why don't I start smoking? Yes. Drinking. Yes, eating yes, the whole thing. And then it took me about a year to realise that I put a lot of weight on, that I was not breathing well."

Thankfully, Fern managed to pull herself out of this low point and can now even find humour in some aspects of it. She recounts: "I had a very bad period of time. And although all those three things were kind of expected and worked through and it's nonetheless tripped me up and I didn't think enough about how I was feeling. The fags, I was so good at it! And I was 62, 63. I took to it like a duck to water! It punctuated the day, let's have a fag and then what time is it 4 O'clock? Let's have a glass of wine,", reports the Mirror.

"Looking back I was in a very bad place and gradually I started to pull myself out of it." Fern, now 67, shared a turning point that led her to quit smoking suddenly when she smoked too much one evening in a Cornish village hall. She had to stop the car to vomit in a field due to "overdoing the nicotine" while driving with her niece and a friend.

Laughing, she adds: "I was in the hedgerow retching so much that I farted, and all I could hear in the car was the girls saying 'classy lady' - so I haven't touched one since."

Fern, who also praises regular therapy sessions, eventually returned to exercising which helped her regain her balance. "I started doing a bit of running and kind of incrementally fixed myself over a couple of years."

"There was a lot of mental effort and reflection and some therapy and came out the other side feeling back to normal. And only three weeks ago I was out in Austria cycling with a group of friends I have cycled with for 20 years and running and lifting weights again."

Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Fern Britton shared how she "repowered" her life in Cornwall, an experience that has inspired a new book due to be released later this year. The TV personality, who also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year, discussed her ongoing journey with mental health, saying: "I've seen my therapist once a week, virtually every week of the year in the last ten years and she has transformed my thinking about myself and my life giving and much more relaxed and happy. Yesterday I was walking through the green here(in Cheltenham) and it was such a beautiful day. I really felt the joy of the day. That is good, I haven't felt that for a little while, all these little things. And yeah I am really happy and contented. Life is Good and I'm looking forward to the next phase, whatever it is."

Since becoming single, Fern's life has undergone significant changes, including relocating to Cornwall and transitioning from a regular TV presence to more sporadic screen appearances, supplemented by a burgeoning career as an author.

Despite having penned 10 books, with an 11th in progress, the former Ready, Steady, Cook and This Morning host still struggles with imposter syndrome, admitting: "I'm not very good at saying myself 'Well done'. I'm gung ho but I am amazed when things happen."

Reaching the milestone of 60 has brought about a significant shift in her perspective, she reveals. "I think the wonderful thing is once you're past 60, for sure, you really don't care. And I'm not embarrassed by anything anymore. I don't get in a state about things anymore. It's just this is life, we are all ridiculous, life is ridiculous. It's full of stupidities and its irritations and everything, but just go with the flow."

She also believes that older individuals should be unafraid to acknowledge and celebrate their past experiences.

"Older people, we pretend that we've led model lives to our children and grandchildren, and I think it's about time we remembered that actually we did flatten the grass with a lot of unsuitable people."

"We did get absolutely off our faces on cheap beer and cider and, yes, most of us did try a bit of drugs even if it's just a quick spliff but we did it and there's no point in pretending we were angels."

Her book aims to recapture the essence of those youthful days and utilise them as inspiration for the present. She explains: "When I was in my twenties I had lots of energy, lots of power and lots of fun. I'm going to reach back and pull that into this lifestyle and take It forward. And you can do that too."

Since relocating to Cornwall, Fern has formed friendships with people of all ages, and her daughters, Grace and Winnie, reside nearby, allowing her to hear tales from their friends about the "dreadful things" they've been up to.

"Yet if I say something a bit saucy they are like 'I never want to hear you say that again'," she says with a chuckle. "But it's great and they do come and ask advice about things and I love that."

Despite facing some challenges in 2020 after relocating to Cornwall, she has found the area to be a source of rejuvenation and speaks fondly of her new home in the South East. She expresses her delight at the Cornish coastline, saying: "There's nothing better than walking down the beach when there's a real storm blowing. Or if it's a hot and a gorgeous day and the sky larks are singing there is something fresh in the air. There is something I find that is unimaginable untouchable and unthinkable."

She adds: "Somebody said to me recently, you know, the veil is very thin in Cornwall between what's real and maybe what is beyond our realms. And there is something to do with that." She also praises the local people, saying: "Also the Cornish are extremely funny and they're just great fun to be with. It's all 'Manana'[spanish for tomorrow], I'll get that job done this year or next year. And it just seems so far away from London."

She concludes by describing the slower pace of life: "Beautifully slow very undulated time and they appreciate good food and it doesn't have to be expensive. Walking and the flora and fauna. It gives you time to stand and stare."