Former This Morning presenter Fern Britton has spoken of the heartbreaking experience of saying goodbye to beloved members of her family, calling the situation “very difficult”.
Fern Britton (Image: ITV)
TV presenter Fern Britton said she had a hard time saying goodbye to her twins when they left for university.
The acclaimed TV presenter, known for shows such as This Morning and Ready Steady Cook, appeared on Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast and spoke candidly about his emotional struggles.
The bestselling author shared her thoughts after Kate mentioned at the start that her 18-year-old son was going to university and that it “tugged at the heartstrings a bit.”
Fern replied: “It’s very difficult. Yes. One minute there are six of you, and then only you are left.”
Fern is the mother of four adult children. She had Vinnie, 23, with ex-husband Phil Vickers, and Grace, 28, and twin sons Harry and Jack, both 31, with Clive Jones.
Fern admitted that while her farewells to her other children were drawn out, saying goodbye to twins Harry and Jack was a different matter. She also gave Kate some advice on what to expect from her own son on moving day, Express reports.
Ferne spoke to Kate Thornton on the podcast (Image: Getty)
Fern explained: “Definitely. Very cruel. She just left suddenly and didn’t want me to deliver them or anything.
“So it was really hard, but it taught me some things, like accepting that they’re going to be tense in the morning because you’re all emotionally involved, they’re all emotionally involved, and there’s going to be little fights like, ‘I’ll take your bag!’ “I can do it, Mom” and all that.”
This isn’t the first time Ferne has discussed her children. In a candid chat with Hello magazine a few years ago, Ferne revealed she wanted to spend more time with her children, although she admitted the distance between them made it difficult.
She said: “The boys are almost 31 and busy with their lives, but they’re good guys. We live far apart but we talk a lot – they ask me how I am, which is great. That’s all I need. I’d like to see more of them, but that’s life.”
Fern Britton (Image: Getty)
Ferne has also been open about the impact of divorce and last year discussed what happens during the separation process.
Ferne told the Telegraph: “Divorce is not an easy task. No matter how much you hope that it will be easy and painless, it inevitably is. It’s difficult and brings out a lot of bad qualities in everyone.
“Then when it’s finally over, there’s a little bit of time where you just have to let the emotions subside. And then you can start looking back on how good it was and how sad it is that it just fizzled out or whatever.”
Fern Britton is set to appear in a new program called Fern Britton: Inside the Veterans, which airs today (July 12) at 11.30am on ITV.