Fern Britton has said she is not lonely following her split from husband Phil Vickery, but is in “a transition period where I’m working out what’s next for me”.

The former This Morning presenter and the TV chef announced the break-up of their marriage in January 2020, shortly after the death of her father, actor Tony Britton in December 2019.

Fern Britton using spray tan for Strictly
Fern Britton and Phil Vickery split last year (Ian West/PA)

However, the TV star, 64, said she is finding a way to navigate the upheaval.

She told Good Housekeeping: “I’m not afraid of change…The last three years have been very hard; I lost my parents (her mother died two years previously), I lost my marriage.

“I lost my other home in Buckinghamshire, too, because Phil lives there now and I’m in Cornwall.

(David Venni/Good Housekeeping/PA)

“But the magic I’ve found here is incredible.

“I’ve made some wonderful girlfriends and that’s been a lovely surprise.”

She said she has also learned about happiness, adding: “First of all, that you’re only as happy as your unhappiest child.

“But also, not to rely on anyone else for your happiness.

“Reassurance and reaffirmation doesn’t work, it comes from you thinking, ‘Yes, I’ve made mistakes. Yes, there are things I’m sorry about doing.

“But actually, I’m all right. I’m not too bad.’”

(David Venni/Good Housekeeping/PA)

She said she is now tackling the challenges of being single, saying: “Being wholly in charge of a situation and not having someone to discuss it with is a double-edged sword.

“I can say, ‘Let’s blow up the house and build something else,’ and I don’t have to justify it, which is great.

“But it’s also a big decision – and I have to arrange everything myself!

“I’m not lonely but I’m in this transition period where I’m working out what’s next for me.

(David Venni/Good Housekeeping/PA)

“My approach has always been, head down, keep going, and for the first time in my life, I’m thinking, ‘Hang on, where shall I go now?’ – and that’s quite nice.

“Suddenly, the world is my oyster.”

Britton also reflected on difficult moments she has had over the course of her long career, saying: “I’ve been fired a couple of times from jobs and thought, ‘Hmm.’ But then it toughens you up.

“The roughs in life make you much less precious about yourself, and that’s important.”

(Good Housekeeping/PA)

The full interview is in the September issue of Good Housekeeping, which is on sale on July 28.