Fearne Cotton has revealed that live TV and radio affected her mental health so badly that there is now not enough ‘money in the world’ to make her return to her former role
Fearne Cotton has candidly revealed that she will never return to presenting live TV or radio for one reason.
The broadcaster revealed that her previous career had a negative impact on her mental health. And her mindset appears to be set in stone as she said there is not enough “money in the world” to entice her back to her former career. Fearne, 42, is perhaps best known for presenting shows including CBBC, Top of the Pops, Celebrity Juice and Love Island. Back in 2015, she confirmed that she had quit the BBC citing that “it was literally ruining my mind.” Leaving that world behind her, Fearne now presents her own chart-topping wellbeing podcast called Happy Place.
During an interview with The Times, Fearne, who is married to Ronnie Wood’s son, Jesse, has now opened up on her decision to steer clear of live TV and radio. She said: “I’d get a week down the line and go, ‘I feel ill — I can’t do this’. I got to the point where I just thought, ‘Why am I doing this to myself? Am I that desperate to be seen or heard?’” She continued: “I’ve learnt that I couldn’t do live radio or TV today for any money in the world. The thought of going on to someone else’s platform [with] that level of risk and judgment, and that element of the unknown? My nervous system can’t take it — it’s absolutely shot. Putting myself in that is like putting me in a pit of lions.”
She then added: “All my mental health lows are because of my job. Nothing else. It is not conducive to a balanced mind.” Another element that appeared to contribute to her anxiety is a cancel culture, which she said she struggled to cope with. She went on to say: “You could do one thing and you’re done, you’re dead. Bye! Everyone’s waiting for you to cock up so they can all point fingers and say that you’ve always been terrible. It’s in our culture to try to level people out. We celebrate the new person on the scene, but then as soon as you’re established, people cannot wait for you to f*** up … I also think I’ve had positive feedback from what I’m doing now because I’ve actively chosen to step away from the shiny stuff [TV and radio] — and people like that.”
The mum of two also revealed that she has been sacked “a million times” but was never actually told. She said: “I’ve been sacked and not told I’ve been sacked. You just turn the telly on and someone else is doing your job.” And this, she said, has happened twice in the past 10 years. She continued: “It’s all a big game. You’ve got the Monopoly board out and you’re moving around [trying to] dodge the danger.”
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