Fern Britton fears she's 'stuck' as she opens up on a tricky last decade

Fern Britton has opened up about not having the easiest of times in the past seven years.

The telly favourite, famed for her time on , spoke candidly of her struggles since she hit 60, detailing a period marked by personal upheaval including the loss of her parents and a divorce.

Speaking on Morning Live, Fern shared that she's been focusing on eating healthier and getting more exercise and is feeling a significant boost. She revealed her intention to "repower" herself, explaining: "The last seven years have been tricky. I lost my parents, I got divorced, the pandemic, and then I kind of lost myself.

"I really wasn't coping well with that stuff - I was eating too much, I wasn't exercising. Not doing very well. And then I thought, I've really got to get the power back in me, and then I had the thought of this word - repowering."

She also revealed the challenges adapting to modern dating norms now she is single.

"We've got the power. You look back and when you were younger, everything was fun. It was proper stuff - now it's all swiping, and I hate it, and I'm not going to do that. It was such a fun time going to parties, and you were excited to meet strangers. I don't want to meet strangers anymore, I don't want to be invited to huge parties," she admitted.

In an honest admission during a segment on The One Show, Fern shared bleak feelings about her future, reports .

Speaking candidly about the hardships she faced as she entered her 60s, she divulged: "Yes, when I was 60, my mum was still alive, and by the time I was 61, and a bit, she wasn't. She died, and then a year later, my father died, and then a year later, my marriage died, and then the pandemic happened. And I found myself for the first time in my life, aged 63 or whatever I was, then not being able to see a future and thinking, 'I am stuck, what has happened?'"

Fern also shared her anxiety over the thought of letting someone new into her life.

She confessed: "I imagine what it would be like to have someone to talk to and walk with. Someone with whom to share hobbies, hold hands, and maybe... gulp... get intimate. It's not just my body.

"I'm worried about sharing with someone new; mostly, it's my personal space. What I would really like is a semi-detached relationship. One where we live in our own houses and not in each other's pockets."

*Morning Live airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.