As a woman who has been in the public eye on telly, I can sympathise with Fearne Cotton’s decision to step back from the limelight.
It’s really hard when you are ridiculed, trolled and threatened just for doing your job.
Fearne says she was petrified. She had so much anxiety over saying or doing the wrong thing and being vilified for it that she decided to walk away from a successful career in TV and radio at just 40 in order to preserve her mental health.
Talking on the Lorraine show this week, she said candidly: “I couldn’t be in that situation every day, where I was having the negative feedback every day, not with cancel culture that exists...
“I was petrified, it took the fun out of it so I stopped doing things that gave me anxiety – for a radio show it wasn’t worth it.”
I have worked with Fearne in the past and our paths crossed at ITV and Children in Need.
She is one of the nicest personalities I’ve had the pleasure to meet – sincere, genuine, kind and caring. She was always upbeat and smiling and now she has been brave enough to share her experience of what she was going through mentally.
When successful celebs talk about anxiety and mental health issues, I can see people rolling their eyes. But let me tell you, if you have never worked in a toxic industry which reminds you daily of how “grateful” you should be – you will never understand the pressure, loneliness, panic and stress of just doing your job.
Just because Fearne worked in the public eye does not mean that she did not have her fair share of personal battles relating to her job or work. Just like everyone else, we all have bills to pay and families to support, so simply walking away is not easy.
I am absolutely sticking up for Fearne because, after 20 years on telly, I too left suddenly because I could not keep giving everything of me for clickbait with little respect and support.
I have so many stories I could share where I was humiliated, belittled, ignored, bullied and disrespected. Not just by the public, but by producers, directors, executives and fellow presenters.
I would come home as a grown-up intelligent woman feeling low, angry, ashamed and lonely.
And everything is exacerbated by social media. I remember so many times when a comment of mine was taken out of context, packaged up for clickbait and then I and my husband and kids had to deal with the trolls, hate and even death threats.
I loved working in television, but I knew that for the sake of my mental health, my family and my happiness I just could not carry on. I am happier and healthier after leaving the industry.
I wish the same for Fearne.
