Fern Britton has relived the devastation she felt growing up with her actor father largely absent from her early years.
The 67-year-old presenter and former Celebrity Big Brother contestant is the daughter of late actor Tony Britton and his first wife Ruth Hawkins - who he was married to from 1948 until divorcing in 1961. Together, Tony and Ruth were parents to Fern and her older sister Cherry Britton.
In her autobiography, titled The Older I Get How I Repowered My Life and which was released earlier this month, Fern revealed that she has no memories of her father living with her and her mother and sister when she was a child. It wasn't until later in life that she acknowledged that her parents's marriage had already crumbled by the time she was born.
Fern explains that this didn't hit her until she was in her mid-50s. Tony ultimately moved on from Fern's mother and fell for Danish sculptor Eva Castle and they eventually married in 1962.
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Rex)Ferne wrote, per the Express: “It transpired that during one visit of a few hours back to see her, he and my mum had temporarily rekindled their feelings and I was conceived. Did he go back to his new partner with a – possibly – guilty spring in his step? How did he manage to explain my eventual appearance to his future wife?”
Fern admits the revelation was a shock to her, but adds that it “fitted a huge piece of the jigsaw” in her life and she theorises that her father “needed to get it off his chest”. However, she was left with more questions than answers, and continued: "At the age of 55 I was left with a strong feeling of ‘why did nobody say?’ Everyone knew. My uncle, aunt, sister. They all knew. It was only me that was kept in the dark." She went on to write that she now hates it “when someone doesn’t tell me what’s going on”.
She added: “It upsets me and makes me very uneasy. I treasure people’s honesty and frankness. I like to know where I am.” Tony sadly passed away at the age of 95 in 2019.
Fern broke the news of her father's death four years ago, taking to social media to reveal he passed away on 22 December 2019. She wrote on X - or Twitter, as it was known then: "Our father, Tony Britton, died early this morning. Great actor, director and charmer. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
His death came just months after her beloved mother passed away. Devastated, Fern shared news of her death in a poignant tribute that read: "My Mum. Ruth. Both mother and father to me. Funny, ferocious, and a woman once met, you couldn't forget. 24.1.24 / 17.4.18. So brave and uncomplaining. An army sergeant WW2, beauty queen, teacher, and all woman."
Fern previously told the Guardian about her past relationship with her father. She told the publication: "My dad wasn't around when I was a child – it was just me, my mum and my older sister, Cherry.
"My mum has always been a very strong person and as a child I absorbed her example of how you can exist on your own. How you don't need a man to validate your life. When I split up from my first husband I wasn't scared to be on my own." The former This Morning star was married to TV executive Clive Jones from 1988 until 2000 and they share three children together. Fern then married celebrity chef Phil Vickery in 2000 and they have a daughter together - but this marriage also crumbled and they divorced in 2020.
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