This Morning legend Fern Britton 'didn't think' her TV career would last
Fern Britton didn't think she would "last" in television when she first started out as she reflected on 45 years in the business.
Fern Britton didn't think she would "last" in television when she first started out.
The 67-year-old broadcaster became a household name when she hosted ' Ready Steady Cook' in the 1990s and then presented 'This Morning' for a decade but admitted on the 45th anniversary of her first ever television job that she didn't think she would manage "45 minutes" in the industry.
She wrote on Instagram: "17 March 1980 I joined Westward Television in Plymouth as a continuity announcer. 45 years ago today! I was 23 and really didn’t think I’d last more than 45 minutes."
Fern famously fronted ITV's flagship magazine show alongside John Leslie before he was replaced with Phillip Schofield in 2002, and when she herself quit in 2009, Holly Willoughby took over for a number of years.
In the years that followed, she fronted a short-lived chat show for Channel 4 and competed on 'Strictly Come Dancing' before hosting two series of 'The Big Allotment Challenge' and 'My Cornwall with Fern Britton'.
Following a revival of 'Watercolour Challenge' for Channel 5, Fern competed on 'Celebrity Big Brother' in 2024 where she finished in fifth place but has also carved out a secondary career as a novelist.
Earlier this year, Fern revealed that she owes her entire television career to a ghost.
She told Yours magazine: "I was working in theatrical marketing at the time, a job I hated.
"I'd just been diagnosed with depression.
"It was three in the morning, and I couldn't sleep.
"All of a sudden, I saw a white, glowing shape. I couldn't see his features, although I sensed it was a man.
"Then, he leant forward and put his hand on my forehead. I instantly fell asleep.
"In the morning, I felt completely different.
"I handed in my notice and, within a month, I was on a train to Plymouth to start work at Westward Television.
"I found a little house a short walk from the River Tamar, the salmon leaping on a summer's afternoon.
"I remember thinking, 'Thank you, God, for bringing me this.'"
