Renowned television presenter Fern Britton has spoken about how a particular surgery, following her divorce and a sad loss, gave her a sense of purpose. Fern, 68, who has appeared on programmes such as ITV’s This Morning as well as Celebrity Big Brother and Ready Steady Cook, spoke about the matter on the Postcards from Midlife podcast.

She said that her divorce following her split from Phil Vickery, 65, in 2020 after over 20 years together was “upsetting”. The pair had married in 2000. However, this was compounded by the fact that, in the same year, she lost her two cats. Fern opened up on the podcast about how one surgery helped give her hope and “purpose”.

She said: “[The] Divorce was upsetting and my two pussy cats that I came down here with, they died in that year as well and it was like ‘woah’. Then the new shoulder, who would have thought, just kind of lifted me and gave me a purpose. All new shoulder.”

This isn’t the first time Fern has talked about a loss in close proximity to her split from TV chef Phil Vickery as, in the same year, she also lost her mother. She claimed in an interview with Yours magazine last year that Phil cut contact with her after her mother’s death.

She said: “He hasn’t spoken to me for six years now. As soon as my mum died, he stopped talking to me.” Despite her comment, Fern said she tried not to speak too unfavourably about Phil because of their daughter Winnie, who she said “adores him”.

She added: “I’m not going to bad-mouth him in front of her – at least, I try very hard not to. I was the child of divorced parents and my mum never bad-mouthed my father.”

When it comes to her mental health, Fern has been frank about not just how good she feels now, but her struggles in the past. Speaking on the same podcast, she talked about the role antidepressants and talking therapy had played in helping her during periods of suicidal thoughts.

She said: "I’m very lucky that antidepressants did work for me and I’ve been on and off over the years. And it just puts that little bit of sunshine in your head and gives you an opportunity to get a bird's-eye view of what’s happening in your life, rather than have it all crammed right up here in your face.

“If you find the right one, and you have a good doctor, then it will work. Trust the process and see how that goes. But also, I have had a lot of talking therapy, a lot. I think I’m about 12 or 13 years into this, once a week, for all those years, and my therapist is a psychoanalyst and she is so good.

“I’m so sorry that it's [therapy] not available immediately, on tap, for the NHS. And yes, my therapist, she’s a private one. But without her, there have been times when I didn’t think I would be around. I’ve always had a strange suicidality, even when I was little, I wasn’t frightened of death.”

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.