Fern Britton, 67, reveals the turning point behind her 5st weight loss as she poses for stunning Woman&Home shoot

Daily Mail​

23-05-2025

Fern Britton has revealed the turning point behind her 5st weight loss as she posed for a stunning new shoot with Woman&Home magazine.
The beloved presenter, 67, has long been open about her weight struggles, having fluctuated between a size 22 and a size 12 over the years.
Now, in a candid new interview, Fern reflected on the powerful moment she decided to take back control of her health.
She told the publication: 'People often wonder when you lose lots of weight whether you've done it naturally. And I can look at you and say, 'Yes, I have.'
'I had my shoulder replacement 18 months ago, and two-and-a-half years ago, when I saw the surgeon, he said, 'I'm going to totally replace your shoulder, I'll see you in a year.' I thought, 'I need to get my life back on track.
'I need to stop smoking, stop drinking, get eating under control and stop lying in bed feeling sorry for myself.'
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She continued: 'So I started the Couch to 5k, took about 80% of the sugar out of my life and started to think about what I was eating, which I had never done before.
'As a child, I just couldn't stop eating sugar, so [I ended up with a] big sugar addiction. I never had the button that said, 'Stop eating, you've had enough.'
'Curiously, having three sensible meals a day – which everyone has told me [to do] for the last 60 years – actually worked!'
'Exercise is part of my life. I go to a gym when my daughter, Grace, who's in nursing, isn't on a shift – we meet at 6am to do a class. I'm also cycling and starting the Couch to 5K again,' Fern added.
Elsewhere in the interview, the presenter opened up about approaching 70, admitting she feels it's her 'duty to stay healthy' for her children.
Fern has twin sons Harry and Jack, 31, and daughter Grace, 27, from her first marriage, to Clive Jones, and daughter Winnie, 23, with Phil Vickery.
She said: 'I'm just two years off 70 so it's very real. I can't believe it, actually!
'At times, I get more tired than I used to or when I'm working in the garden, I think, 'That's heavy.
She continued: 'I had my shoulder replacement 18 months ago, and two-and-a-half years ago, when I saw the surgeon, he said, 'I'm going to totally replace your shoulder, I'll see you in a year.' I thought, 'I need to get my life back on track'
Elsewhere in the interview, the presenter opened up about approaching 70, admitting she feels it's her 'duty to stay healthy' for her children
You can read the full interview in Woman & Home's July issue which goes on sale May 29
'I used to be able to lift that.' It is my duty to stay as healthy as I can for the sake of my children.'
The star continued: 'I don't want them to feel guilty about not seeing me or worried about me if I'm not well. It's important that I show them I'm living my own life well.'
Fern has kept her private life out of the spotlight since calling it a off with TV chef, Phil, 63, in 2020, after 20 years.
On looking for love, she told the publication: 'I'm still a bit too wary of losing my liberty.
'There's nobody to run something past but, on the other hand, I think back to running things past people and it never really worked out, so why don't I just make my own decision?
'Then I'm the only person who can go, 'I f***ed up there.' I'm feeling pretty good [but] it would be foolish to say I feel spot on 100% of the time.
'Cats are great companions but there are days when I'm actually quite lonely because sitting, writing on your own is lonely, but it's good to admit it.'
As for her latest project, Fern has another novel coming out, which centres on Wilderhoo - a fictional 1,000-year-old Cornish house that has gone to rack and ruin.
Five years ago, the presenter moved permanently into her Cornish holiday home before renovating it 'bit by bit'.
A Cornish Legacy, which is Fern's 11th novel and comes out on June 5, took the star two years to write – twice longer than normal.
'I'm used to producing one a year at least, so I'm sorry for the delay but I was a bit busy,' she told the publication.
Last year, the beauty took part in Celebrity Big Brother and finished in fifth place.
However, TV is no longer a top professional priority. She bid farewell to This Morning, which she co-hosted for 10 years alongside John Leslie and, later, Phillip Schofield, before quitting in 2009.
She said: 'My forefront is now being a writer and it's taken me a long time to accept that. Gosh, yes, I can say I'm an author now!'