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Fern Britton on single life after Phil Vickery split: 'I'm not prepared to hand over my autonomy'

The former couple were married for 20 years

phil vickery fern britton
Sharnaz Shahid
Deputy Online Editor
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Fern Britton has revealed she is in no rush to get into a new relationship anytime soon, ten months after confirming her split from Phil Vickery.

READ: Kate Garraway expresses heartache over children not being able to see husband

The comments come shortly after her second husband was reported to have sparked up a new romance with shepherdess Alison O'Neill.

During a new interview with The Mirror, 63-year-old Fern claimed she is enjoying her "autonomy" for the time being. "I am enjoying not having to share life with somebody else," she explained. "I'm not a man-hater. Men are great. I don't think I'm prepared to hand over my autonomy just yet."

WATCH: Fern Britton makes incredibly rare comment about her daughters

Fern was married to celebrity chef Phil for 20 years and first husband Clive Jones for 12 years. Despite loving single life, the former This Morning host insists she does miss being married. "That's not to say I don't miss being married, because I have been married to two incredible husbands for over 30 years, so I have been married for a very long time," she said.

MORE: 24 celebrity splits that happened during and after lockdown

READ: Fern Britton reveals the REAL reason she left This Morning presenting role

The TV star announced that she had parted ways from Phil in January; the former couple share 19-year-old daughter Winnie. Fern is also a mother to twin sons Harry and Jack, 26, and daughter Grace, 23, from her first marriage.

Appearing on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh last month, Fern touched upon her personal life after the host asked: "Now life has changed for you, you are down in Cornwall on your own - are you happy, content?"

fern britton phil vickery shock split© Photo: Getty Images

Fern and Phil were married for 20 years before their split

"Well you know it's another chapter and we all have chapters," she replied. "But yeah, I'm in Cornwall and I'm living in a dear little house and I'm doing a bit of work to it, getting it nice. I'm building a little office, where I can sit and write."

MORE: Phil Vickery removes wedding ring for first post-split TV appearance

The mum-of-four confessed she has been enjoying life in lockdown as her daughters have remained with her. "I've got the girls with me, my daughters, well I should say 'our daughters' because of Phil," she continued. "They sort of got stuck there in lockdown.

"My oldest daughter is working and she is waitressing, wearing her PPE and all of those things. And my little daughter is mad about the house, she's busy building cobble setts for me and building paths. Oh it's great."

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