Broadcaster Fearne Cotton appears to have addressed ex Ian Watkins child sex crimes conviction for the very first time.
The 44-year-old presenter dated the disgraced Lostprophets frontman – who died last year – briefly in the early 2000s.
In her new memoir Likeable, Fearne reflected on a period of intense “shame” and anxiety while she was presenting at BBC Radio 1.
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Fearne Cotton opens up about ‘shame’ following Ian Watkins arrest
The radio host does not name Watkins directly in the book. However, she described the moment when a news story connected to her past was broadcast during her own radio show.
As reported by The Mirror, she wrote that while live on air, “a horrible news story that doesn’t involve me yet has a tenuous and life-altering link to me will be broadcast on my own radio show again that day”.
Watkins was arrested in 2012 and convicted in 2013 for multiple child sexual offences while Fearne was hosting Radio 1’s mid-morning show.
In Likeable, Fearne recalled the emotional turmoil she experienced during that time, admitting she felt overwhelmed by “shame”.
She wrote: “I feel simultaneously glared at, stared at, yet utterly ignored by those in the office. Are they all talking about me behind my back? Or am I a narcissist for thinking that?”
Despite the distress, she tried to remain upbeat while presenting live radio. “I shoved down the anger, the rage, the sorrow and tears.”
However, she admitted the period left her struggling with “depression and a heaviness”. She left Radio 1 in 2015.
Fearne Cotton releases memoir
The book also reflects more broadly on the pressure she felt throughout her early career. Fearne rose to fame as a teenager and later became a major presenter on shows including Top of the Pops.
Looking back, Fearne admitted she often changed herself to please others and to appear more likeable. She wrote that she had “morphed into a version” people expected rather than being authentic.
She later stepped away from Radio 1 in 2015, explaining that anxiety, online criticism and the strain of being constantly in the spotlight had taken a toll.
In the book she reflected on how she began to withdraw, describing how she “stopped talking altogether” and limited how much of her personality she shared publicly.
Fearne said therapy later helped her understand that the shame she once carried about the situation was misplaced. Instead, she realised it “belongs to others”.
Watkins died in prison in 2025 while serving a 29-year sentence.
Despite revisiting painful memories, Likeable ultimately focuses on the happier chapter of Fearne’s life that followed her departure from radio.
After leaving Radio 1, she launched the hugely successful Happy Place podcast in 2018. It has since expanded into books, live events and festivals.
She also revealed a health scare forced her to reassess her lifestyle. Doctors removed a benign tumour from her salivary gland in December 2024.
Now a mother of two and living a quieter life following her split from Jesse Wood in 2024, Fearne said she is learning to prioritise rest.
ED! has contacted Fearne’s reps for comment.
Read more: Fearne Cotton issues health update following tumour removal surgery as fans share their support
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