Vernon Kay apologised to a former BBC Radio 2 colleague as she revealed details of a hidden health struggle, confessing that he had 'no idea'. During yesterday's Tracks of My Years segment on his mid-morning radio programme (July 7), Vernon was accompanied by seasoned broadcaster Fearne Cotton, who discussed her mental health.
Fearne Cotton Opens Up About Mental Health
Radio 2 presenter Fearne, who has been open about living with depression and OCD, has withdrawn from live TV in recent years and currently hosts the Happy Place podcast. The subject arose during her conversation with Vernon, who enquired whether she had found TV 'gruelling'. Fearne explained she hadn't at first, but that her career resulted in paparazzi pursuing her 'everywhere'.
She said: 'I just felt paranoid that someone was photographing me, taking the bins out, whatever. Paparazzi would get on flights at Heathrow and fly to LA to like pap me at the other end. And I'll be like, "I'm getting off a flight. I'm not even doing anything". And then I went through just a terrible time of mental health in my late 20s, early 30s, where the press stuff was awful, the pressure of being on air amongst it all.'
Struggles Kept Hidden
Fearne claimed that mental health wasn't really talked about at the time. It meant she would tackle it in her 'own head' and not speak about it to anyone, not even her own producer. She added: 'So I very much, like many people have, and still sadly do, dealt with it all in my own head. You know, I didn't say to a single person, not my producer, anyone, "I am on the brink of this like not being okay". I just, I took medication, and I went to work every day. And I felt dreadful for most of that period.'
Vernon Kay's Apology
Vernon replied: 'Well, I apologise. I had no idea', to which Fearne explained that she 'didn't tell anyone'. Fearne has graced our screens since she was just 15, launching her career on GMTV's The Disney Club. Now 44, she has stepped away from the pressures of TV and has since been focusing on her wellness brand, Happy Place.
Earlier Revelations
She also opened up about her mental health to Metro earlier this year. Fearne, who penned the book Likeable: How I Broke Free From The Need To Please, told the outlet that she'd had bulimia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). 'I'm not saying that every single mental and physical issue I've had is down to people pleasing, but it's definitely contributed to everything from very low self-esteem and poor mental health. I had bulimia, and I had OCD at one point, I'm not saying that that's entirely down to people pleasing, but I do think part of it was just trying to keep everybody happy, totally neglecting myself, as many of us do.'
