Fern Britton is the epitome of professionalism on TV. The former host of This Morning and now presenter of Channel 5’s My Cornwallis an expert at putting people at ease on camera and maintaining her composure when asking difficult questions.
However, today Fern shows a vulnerable side when talking about the gal pals who have helped her through a turbulent few years. In 2020, Fern and TV chef Phil Vickery divorced after 20 years together and she moved out of the marital home to their cottage in Cornwall.
As we meet over Zoom to discuss the second series of My Cornwall, in which she travels her adopted county exploring its history and folklore currently on My5 catch-up service), Fern wells up with emotion when talking about her move to Cornwall.
“Something magical did happen,” says mum-of-four Fern, 65. I’ve always had a lovely girlfriend down the road called Caroline. And then suddenly, another friend arrived, and another friend arrived, and these lovely women became...” She trails off and her voice cracks with emotion.
“Tm getting teary now because they were just very warm and welcoming and they didn’t expect anything from me, which is very restful. Because when people keep expecting something from you, it’s very hard to keep giving and then crawling back to bed, thinking, how do I get through tomorrow?”
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