Fern Britton has recalled the moment she burst into tears after learning that she needed to undergo a shoulder replacement.
The 67-year-old told fans she had been living "in agony" for over a year after hurting herself while changing the liner in her bin.
Reflecting on that tough period in her new book The Older I Get... How I Repowered My Life, she recalled: "I opened the bin lid and thrust the bag forward.
"But instead of a sense of childish achievement I felt an immediate searing pain. Instantly, I knew I’d done something serious.
"For over a year I was in agony and it was at the time when you really couldn’t see a doctor."
When Fern eventually got to see a NHS surgeon, he told her that she needed to have a total shoulder replacement.
While the doctor's words may have been chilling to hear, Fern said it offered her a sense of relief that her pain had finally been acknowledged.
"I was so relieved that he knew I wasn’t making the pain up, I cried," she wrote.
"I had to wait a year for the op but it was so worth it. It gave me time to get fit again, but more of that later."
The ex This Morning host underwent the four-hour operation last year at a hospital in Cornwall.
Post-op, she shared a selfie of her in a hospital gown while wearing the cast that supported her new shoulder.
In the caption, she thanked medics for their care and support, as well as her loved ones who had been taking care of her.
Fern said undergoing the operation had prompted her to "get back on track" with her fitness and health.
"If the surgeon was going to help me, I was going to help him by getting fitter in the readiness for the op," she wrote. "I knew the waiting list was a year long so I had no excuse."
To get fit, Fern said she ditched the cigarettes, changed her diet and began working up her stamina with the running challenge, couch to 5k.
The former presenter has also been enjoying bike rides again, as regularly seen on her Instagram page.
"I also have an electric bike, which is perfect for whizzing up hills effortlessly and also good for regaining your confidence on two wheels.
"It’s also the ideal option if you’re new to cycling or your fitness levels are a little low," she added.
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