TV presenter Fern Britton has opened up about her relationship with her ex-husband Phil Vickery, revealing how he allegedly cut contact after the star's mother died in 2018.
In a new interview with Yours magazine, the former This Morning presenter, 67, said: "He hasn't spoken to me for six years now. As soon as my mum died, he stopped talking to me."
Fern continued: "Winnie adores him. 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."
This isn't the first time the broadcaster has touched on her relationship with Phil. Last year, the author revealed that the former couple connected purely on a "basic" level.
© Jon FurnissSpeaking to Woman & Home magazine, the star said: "On those basic levels [we connect], but I don't need to know what he's doing in his personal life. That's not my business anymore."
Fern and Phil first crossed paths on the set of BBC Two's Ready Steady Cook. They were married for 20 years, during which time they welcomed a daughter called Winnie – but later announced their decision to divorce in 2020.
© InstagramAt the time, they shared: "After more than 20 happy years together, Phil and I have decided to go our separate ways.
"We will always share a great friendship and our lovely children. We would appreciate it if our privacy is respected at this time. Thank you for your continued kindness and support."
© ShutterstockAside from Winnie, Fern is also a proud mother to twin sons, Jack and Harry, and a daughter called Grace, whom she shares with her first husband, TV executive Clive Jones.
Fern has since touched on her new life post-divorce, comparing it to a "whole other world" opening up. "My children are grown-up and I'm no longer married, and it's as if this whole other world has opened up," she told Good Housekeeping in 2023.
"I never thought this would happen; I didn't expect to be 65 and single and really relaxed."
© Getty ImagesFern's home life
The presenter lives in Padstow, Cornwall, where she continues to write her books. The coastal property was previously used as a holiday home by Phil and Fern but now serves as her main base.
Her seaside bolthole is seriously charming and boasts a beautiful duck egg blue AGA cooker, a cosy log burner, and a light-filled conservatory.
Sharing a glimpse inside her bond with Winnie, Fern previously told us: "Winnie is amazing. She lives with me and works as a labourer on a building site. Then she sits at the sewing machine; she made me a jacket the other day out of a great big cotton shawl. They are very kind to me, and very thoughtful."
