Fern Britton has opened up about how she was treated behind the scenes while working on a television show.
The 68-year-old presenter has been a familiar face on television for decades. She joined This Morning in 1999 and remained a key part of the programme for 20 years before leaving in 2019.
At the time, she was a main presenter alongside Phillip Schofield. When Fern left, she was replaced by Holly Willoughby.
Fern Britton reveals how she was treated behind the scenes of show
During a new podcast appearance for Global’s Full Disclosure, Fern spoke to James O’Brien about a horrific situation she had to deal with at one of her jobs.
Explaining she was “very unhappy”, Fern claimed the editor and former boss “hated” her and said it was “made very, very difficult for me”.
“There was one morning when the editor walked in at 8am, sort of halfway through the morning, and he came through the forest of cameras, and he said to me, ‘You are terrible. You are awful. Now sit down there and do another hour,'” she continued.
“After the show, he called me into his office. He closed the door, and he locked it. He was in there with his deputy editor – and they just shredded me. And I cried and cried and cried. It was a Friday. And he said, ‘You’re not leaving this office until you put some makeup on.'”
Fern then claimed she went to get her makeup in her bag and was forced to put it on in front of him.
James asked if he had asked Fern to put makeup on to cover up that she had been crying. In response, Fern alleged he made her cry “really bad”, stating: “it desiccated me”.
‘I feel you should never look back’
Fern previously said that she feels “you should never look back” as she discussed if she would ever return to This Morning.
In an interview with Good Housekeeping in 2023, she said: “My time at This Morning was marvellous and I adored the 10 years I was there.
“I feel you should never look back. I don’t think I’d be able to turn the clock back; it wouldn’t work that way.”
Read more: Fern Britton claims ex-husband Phil Vickery didn’t speak to her for two years before marriage split
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