Fern Britton admits ‘talking to her cats about her problems’ as she misses ex Phil Vickery | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV
Fern Britton, 64, enjoyed a 20-year marriage to celebrity chef Phil Vickery, and has struggled with moving on. Now, two years after their split, she relies on a close bond with her cats when she feels lonely.
“I miss the opportunity of talking through a problem with another adult, to get their take on it,” she confessed.
“So I talk to the cats, who usually have the answer.
“[Phil and I] were the best of friends, and I miss that friendship,” she mused.
However, explaining why their love fell apart, she admitted to the Daily Mail‘s Weekend magazine: “There comes a point when the children are substantially off your hands and you look at each other and wonder where you’re going to go from here.”
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Yoga-loving Fern added that her life has become more peaceful since closing the door on her relationship with Phil.
“People say they bounce back from a long relationship, but it takes a while,” she clarified to Woman and Home magazine.
“The rebound is difficult. You chuck the pebble in the pond, but the ripples go on for a very long time.
“It’s been a long time getting to the dawn, but I’m in another brand-new chapter and do feel it will be all right.”
It hasn’t been easy for author and presenter Fern in the past few years.
Not only did her marriage collapse, but both of her parents died too – and her torment took place against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.
However the resilient star has insisted that “there is life afterwards”.
Recently, it emerged that Fern split from her first husband Clive Jones after he was enraged that she had sailed through an IQ test and he hadn’t.
Fern reported that the explosive row they had about her Mensa membership was the catalyst that caused her marriage to disintegrate.
Talking on the Walking The Dog with Emily Dean podcast, she elaborated: “He had this degree and I don’t [so] I secretly went off and did the Mensa.
“I lied, I said I was going somewhere else, and it took a day to do this test. I passed — and quite well too.”
She added: “Then [Clive] was furious so he did it because he’s got a huge brain, but he’s not a problem solver and he didn’t get it.”
