Fearne Cotton has said she halted her broadcasting career because of the “abandon culture today” to protect her mental health.
The 40-year-old former presenter and podcast host spoke candidly with Lorraine on her morning chat show on Thursday as she explained her reasons for leaving behind an incredible TV and radio career and blazing new trails.
Promoting her new mental health app, Happy Place, the author said, “I couldn’t be in this situation every day where I get negative feedback every day, not with the abandonment culture that’s in place.”
Opening Up: Fearne Cotton announced on Thursday’s episode of Lorraine that she has quit her television career to protect her mental health because she is dropping out of culture today.
The former TV regular revealed in August last year that she was quitting her job at BBC Radio 1 because it “was wrecking her sanity”.
She also revealed in 2020 that presenting had affected her mental health as she didn’t feel “connected” to many parts of the entertainment industry, adding, “I always felt like someone was going to beat me up.”
As she exited the radio, she told Lorraine: “When I got into my forties I thought some laundry needed doing, I can’t feel like that anymore
“Sometimes you’re stuck in life situations that you can’t change, but sometimes there are things you can do to relieve the stress.
“I was petrified, it took the fun out of me so I stopped doing things that scared me, it wasn’t worth it for a radio show.
Career: Fearne has been an integral part of the television and radio world since she began her presenting career at the age of 15 (pictured on Celebrity Juice with Holly Willoughby, Keith Lemon, Rufus Hound in 2009).
Open: The author promoted her new mental health app, Happy Place, saying, “I couldn’t be in this situation every day where I get negative feedback every day.”
“It was a huge, massive cause of fear. It may sound disproportionately dramatic, but I couldn’t bear to be in this situation…
“Having that feedback every day or however many times I’ve done a show, I found it quite traumatic to be getting this feedback from people all the time and not being able to screw anything up because there’s no room to create confusion or make mistakes.
‘I was petrified. It took away the joy, the fun of how it used to feel.
“I’ve definitely moved away from things that were causing me anxiety about panic attacks, not just like ‘I don’t feel good’ – I mean not getting any sleep the night before, proper panic attacks. It’s not worth it for a radio show.
‘Traumatic’: As she exited the radio, she told Lorraine, ‘When I got into my 40s I thought a little bit of laundry needed doing, I can’t feel like that anymore.’
Looking chic: She donned a leopard print vest and matching trousers, a lustrous silky white blouse and statement pointed red heeled boots as she sat in the chair across from Lorraine
On the importance of having time for myself, she added: “I think it’s an odd British thing that self-care is seen as self-indulgence, but it’s actually the least selfish thing to do.”
The mother of two has been an integral part of the television and radio world since she began her presenting career in 1996 at the age of 15.
Fearne also hosted The Xtra Factor from 2007 and appeared as team captain on Celebrity Juice alongside Holly Willoughby and Keith Lemon.
For her appearance on Lorraine, Fearne donned a leopard print vest and matching trousers, a lustrous silky white blouse and statement pointy red stiletto heels as she sat in the chair opposite Hostess Lorraine.
She wore her short, choppy blonde locks in a bouncy wave and kept her makeup simple and classy.
The blonde beauty shared the moment on her Instagram page for her 3.7million followers to enjoy, captioning the post Thursday morning, “Thanks for having me @Lorraine. Always nice to catch up.
“Today we talked about the new happy place app, among other things. @happyplaceofficial. Leopard Print Overload.’
Married to Jesse Wood, son of Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, Fearne has two children and in recent years has focused on family life and her Happy Place Podcast, now launched as an app.
Leopard lady: The blonde beauty shared the moment on her Instagram page with her 3.7million followers, showing off her leopard print outfit and red heeled boots