Vernon Kay has apologised to BBC Radio 2 colleague Fearne Cotton after she opened up about a difficult mental health period, admitting he had "no idea" of her hidden battle.
During Tuesday's Tracks of My Years segment on his mid-morning show, the presenter asked Cotton whether she had found live television "gruelling". She said that while she had not initially, her career had led to paparazzi following her "everywhere", leaving her feeling paranoid and under immense pressure.
Cotton, 44, described an "awful time" in her late 20s and early 30s, when press intrusion and the demands of being on air took a heavy toll. She explained that mental health was rarely discussed then, so she dealt with it alone, telling no one – not even her producer. "I just took medication, and I went to work every day. And I felt dreadful for most of that period," she said.
Responding, Kay said: "Well, I apologise. I had no idea." Cotton replied that she "didn't tell anyone".
The former children's TV presenter, who launched her career on GMTV's The Disney Club aged 15, now hosts the Happy Place podcast and presents Sounds of the 90s on Radio 2. She has previously spoken about living with depression and OCD, and told Metro earlier this year that she had also experienced bulimia. In her book Likeable, she explores how people pleasing contributed to low self-esteem and poor mental health.
