Fern Britton has revealed she wishes she could have "persevered" with her marriage to This Morning chef Phil Vickery.
The 64-year-old also said she doesn't want to "be the poster girl for separation," after splitting from Phil, 61, back in 2020 following 20 years of marriage.
The author said she is enjoying a new chapter in life, having released her latest book, The Good Servant, back in June.
"This new chapter has come at the right time for me. I don’t want to be the poster girl for separation, though, because a lot of people go through the same thing.
"Often, the children leave home and you look at each other and go, ‘Ah, where do we go from here?’ I only wish I was the sort of person who could have persevered through that, but I couldn’t," she told Prima Magazine.
The pair share a daughter, Winnie, 20. Fern is also also mum to Grace, 25, and twins Jack and Harry, 28, who she shares with her ex-husband Clive Jones.
Fern said she is not looking at dating right now and urged others to have courage when they feel like they're at a crossroads in life.
"I haven’t been seeing anyone and nobody has approached me, which is nice, too."
She said it would be great for someone "lovely" to come along if they didn't have to live together, but added her life is "pretty bloody perfect" and she is happy with her own company.
Fern added: "If you find yourself in a situation where you’re at a crossroads, have courage. Look into yourself and ask, ‘How do I feel?’ If the answer is, ‘Pretty depressed,’ you don’t have to conform just because you think other people want you to.
"Do it for yourself."
Fern announced her split from Phil in January 2020.
At the time, she tweeted: "After more than 20 happy years together, [we] have decided to go our separate ways. We will always share a great friendship and our lovely children.
'We would appreciate it if our privacy is respected at this time. Thank you for your continued kindness and support."
Phil also shared a matching statement.
The August issue of Prima is on sale from 14th July.
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