Fern Britton has reunited with former colleagues from This Morning for her new ITV series Inside the Vets, saying "they've remembered that perhaps I'm OK to work with." The 69-year-old presenter worked on the ITV daytime show for 10 years before her sudden departure in 2009 amid rumours of a fallout with co-host Phillip Schofield.
Return to Television After Writing Career
After stepping back from television, Britton launched a successful career as a novelist. Speaking to the Guardian, she admitted it was nice to team up again with familiar faces. "I knew that it would run out (television work). I am absolutely prepared for things to stop and change. Then, I think, well, that's television dead, and now here I am doing Inside the Vets, and loving it," she said.
Britton declined to discuss the details of her rift with Schofield, who left ITV in 2023 after admitting to a relationship with a younger employee. She said the situation "turned on a sixpence" before her sudden departure, and she realised she needed to leave immediately.
Reflections on Schofield Rift
"I can't really explain it, because we did have a good working relationship, until we didn't, so it was tricky. I wish him well. I hope it all settles down and he finds some happiness," Britton told the Guardian.
A representative for Schofield told The Independent: "They were very strange times, but he remembers his time working alongside Fern with nothing but fondness."
Personal Challenges and New Life in Cornwall
The last decade has been difficult for Britton personally. Both her parents died in quick succession – her mother Ruth Hawkins in April 2018 and her father Tony in December 2019. Shortly afterwards, she split from her husband of 20 years, celebrity chef Phil Vickery, in 2020. The couple share one daughter, Winnie.
Britton subsequently moved to Cornwall, which has also served as a setting for some of her novels. In 2022, she told PA: "I don't think I was wounded. It just played itself out. It's been fine." Now single, she said she has no particular desire to start dating again. "I've got lovely friends and I have a lovely social life, which is quite enough for me. I like to be in bed at nine o'clock – it's great."
New Series Airs on ITV
Fern Britton: Inside the Vets returns on Sunday, July 19, from 11.25am to 12.30pm on ITV. Britton previously competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012.
