Fern Britton has opened up about her falling out with her former This Morning co-star Phillip Schofield, with the TV personality admitted that she hasn’t spoken to him in 15 years since she quit the beloved breakfast show.
While the pair have spoken at length about their fallout, Fern revealed in a new interview that she would still be on the show if it wasn’t for her friendship with Phillip going sour.
When asked if leaving the show was her choice, she explained to the Mail Online: “To leave This Morning? Ultimately, yes. I loved it and I would probably still be there if… Phillip and I were not getting on very well at that stage.”
Although Fern didn’t disclose exactly what happened, she did hint at the situation while describing male presenters she has worked with in the past, saying: “Lots of the men you work with are much more fussed about their piece to camera and how many words they’ve got than they are about you.”
© Barry Batchelor - PA ImagesShe also spoke about what she would say on Celebrity Big Brother if she was quizzed about the recent controversy surrounding revelations that Phillip had had an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a young man working on the show, which ultimately led to him stepping down as a presenter.
Speaking about the incident, Fern said: “I will truthfully say I have nothing to tell them about This Morning over the last few years because I haven’t been there.”
© Simon SeedFern quit the show back in 2009, sharing a statement at the time which read: “The This Morning team are simply the best and I will miss them all very much but I am looking forward to the freedom of exploring other things I want to do, and also spend more time with my wonderful family. So, many thank yous to all our viewers who have shown me so much kindness and loyalty.”
She later added that “something happened” that made her quit the show, telling the Ray D’Arcy Show in 2020: “Something happened and I thought, 'That's it really' and I walked away and resigned. I was treated pretty poorly, actually. And after a while I just thought, 'Sod it’."
© Photo: RexPhillip also detailed his perspective on the fallout in his memoir, Life's What You Make It, recalling a time when the pair argued over the content of one of the show's episodes.
"I walked back into the make-up room and calmly said, 'Please don't do that to me again'," he wrote. "I think, for whatever reason, that was the point Fern decided she didn't want to do This Morning anymore.” He added that he was “heartbroken” that she had decided to quit and that their relationship had gone “sour”.
