Fern Britton has candidly revealed the distressing circumstances that led to her departure from BBC Breakfast, describing how she was 'decimated' by editors and reduced to tears during a filming day.
The Incident That Prompted Her Exit
The 68-year-old presenter, who co-hosted the programme from 1983 to 1986, shared her experience on James O'Brien's Full Disclosure podcast. She recounted a particularly harrowing morning when the show's editor confronted her mid-broadcast.
'There was one morning when the editor walked in at 8 o'clock 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",' Britton recalled.
Following the broadcast, she was summoned to the editor's office where the door was locked. 'He was in there with his deputy editor and they just shredded me and I cried and cried and cried,' she said. The editor then instructed her to apply makeup before leaving, insisting she do so in his presence.
'It was a Friday and he said you're not leaving this office until you put some make-up on. I said "It's in the bag, on the desk" and he went and he got my bag and I had to put my make-up on in front of him,' Britton explained. When asked if this was to conceal her tears from colleagues, she affirmed, 'What he did was really bad, it really decimated me.'
Support from Fans and Colleagues
The revelation sparked an outpouring of support on social media. Supernanny Jo Frost commented: 'Abuse! Misogynistic behaviour.' Other fans echoed similar sentiments, with one writing: 'Absolutely despicable behavior, you were great and so personable.' Another added: 'I thought @fernbritton was lovely and such a great presence on tv.'
Her Time on This Morning
Britton also reflected on her decade-long stint on This Morning, which she left abruptly in 2009. Speaking on the Ray D'Arcy Show in 2020, she said: 'Something happened and I thought, "That's it really" and I walked away and resigned. I was treated pretty poorly, actually. And after a while I just thought, "Sod it".'
Her departure was reportedly linked to a falling out with co-host Phillip Schofield. In his autobiography, Schofield described a heated argument in a makeup room over show content, after which he felt Britton decided to leave. Britton later told The Daily Mail in 2024: 'To leave This Morning? Ultimately, yes. I loved it and I would probably still be there if… Phillip and I were not getting on very well at that stage.'
Britton's candid accounts highlight the challenges she faced behind the scenes of two of Britain's most beloved morning shows.
