Fern Britton 's former husband Phil Vickery has been spotted kissing one of his ex-wife's close friends.
The This Morning chef, 61, has been pictured with ex-wife Fern's best friend, Lorraine Stanton, two years on from their shock split - with the pair snapped looking very cosy as they kissed and embraced one another on the street during a recent outing in London.
Lorraine - who has known Fern, 65, for decades - carried a Fortnum & Mason bag as she leaned over a suitcase and an overnight bag for the kiss. An onlooker claimed the pair looked like "teenagers in love" during their romantic jaunt, and added how "that will be just so hurtful for Fern".
The images of Phil and Lorraine kissing come as sources claim Fern has been left 'shocked, weird and awkward' by their surprise embrace, but the star seemingly shut down those claims on Friday morning [September 30], taking to Twitter to say: "Good morning all. Just to clear up any concerns re @TheSun front page. It is not true."
Fern and Lorraine appeared to be the best of friends prior to the pictures obtained by The Sun being published- often holidaying together and sharing snaps of each other across social media. Phil often interacted with his then-wife's friend on Twitter over the years - referring to her as 'Loz' several times and the pair seemingly both sharing an interest the coffee chain Costa.
In September 2019, Fern and Lorraine enjoyed a bike ride with friends in Lake Windermere, with the former This Morning presenter sharing snaps of herself beaming alongside her pal on Twitter, captioning them: "@loristanton22 and me on board #Osprey #windermerelake #steammuseum."
It appears the two women often enjoyed trips across the country together before Fern's shock split from Phil in 2020, with the pair heading to Madagascar together, alongside other friends, in 2017 to complete a charity bike ride to raise funds for the Genesis Research Trust.
Over the years, Phil would also chat to Lorraine on social media and join conversations between his then-wife and her pal. Lorraine's Twitter account is now set to private but based on Phil's replies it appears the two had a few inside jokes and were even pictured together at at the Cumbria Life Magazine Food & Drink Awards together in March 2020 - two months on from Phil and Fern announcing their split.
Like Phil, Lorraine appears to work in the food business, with her Twitter bio currently reading: "Hospitality through & through [smile emoji] To give & share a smile it’s so worthwhile." Her location is listed as the Lake District.
Although Fern is still following Lorraine on social media, the two women seemingly haven't been pictured together since their trip to Windermere in September 2019.
The insider told MailOnline: "Fern finds the situation weird and awkward and has learned that Lorraine is clearly not a great mate.
"She's shocked and is struggling to process her mixed emotions. On the one hand she had felt like she'd moved on from Phil but she hadn't expected this new romance and it's been hard to see."
But it seems Fern is unbothered by the pictures of Fern and Lorraine looking close, tweeting on Friday morning at 10.05am: "Good morning all. Just to clear up any concerns re @TheSun front page. It is not true."
Fern and Phil announced their separation in January 2020 via a statement on Twitter which read: "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 and Fern first struck up a romance in 1999 when they met on the set of Ready Steady Cook - one year on from Fern's split from TV executive Clive Jones.
The pair went on to tie the knot the following year, after Fern's divorce was finalised, and enjoyed 20 years of marriage before announcing their split in 2020.
The former couple share daughter, Winnie, 20, together from their time as a couple. Fern is also mum to Grace, 25, and twins Jack and Harry, 28, who she shares with her ex-husband Clive.
Speaking over two years on from the split, Fern explained to Prima magazine in July this year: "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."
She added: "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."
Fern went on to urge others to consider their options if they find themselves in an unhappy relationship, adding: "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."
Since splitting from Phil in 2020, Fern has been living in Cornwall after moving out of the family home in Buckinghamshire and focusing on her career with no plans to date anytime soon.
In her recent interview, Fern said it would be 'lovely' if someone came along but she wouldn't want to live with them due to being happy in her own company - going on to describe her life as 'bloody perfect' at the moment.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct at 0207 29 33033
