Fearne Cotton's life now after she quit TV and radio

Fearne Cotton remains a big name in the UK celebrity world but she has ruled out doing live TV and radio. She said she doesn't do TV anymore unless it's something she absolutely loves.

Cotton first rocketed to fame in the 1990s as a children’s television presenter when she burst onto the small screen with her infectious enthusiasm.

Quickly she carved a career in the TV circles, starring on shows from Top of the Pops to a series of Love Island and more recently on Interior Design Masters to Celebrity Juice. She's presented Children In Need and Red Nose Day too.

So, why did Cotton quit live TV and radio? And what is the former presenter up to now?

Read more: Fearne Cotton: I could not do live TV or radio today because cancel culture exists (The Telegraph, 3-min read)

Why Fearne Cotton quit TV and radio

During Lorraine on Tuesday, Cotton revealed why she doesn't do TV anymore. "I don't do any," she told presenter Lorraine Kelly.

She explained: "I don't do any telly anymore. If something came up that I loved maybe consider it... My heart is in writing but also all the happy place projects."

Her rare TV appearance followed on from her Sunday Times interview at the weekend where she said she "couldn't do live radio or TV today for any money in the world".

She told The Times: "I've been sacked a million times, I've been sacked and not told I've been sacked. You just turn the telly on and someone else is doing your job. It's all a big game. You've got the Monopoly board out and you're moving around [trying to] dodge the danger."

In recent weeks, Cotton looked back on quitting Radio 1 nine years ago. She wrote: "Nine years ago I left Radio1. I don't often look back, or take stock but today I do feel the need to stop and recognise how much has changed.

"I'm still on the mend from tough times and I still have work to do to regulate my nervous system, but I'm getting a bit better at looking after myself and having self compassion. I'm up for trying new things and constantly seek out new challenges that keep me on my toes."

Being a mum

Away from the cameras, Cotton focuses on being a mum to her two children whom she shares with her husband Jesse Wood.

In fact, it was becoming a mum that spurred her on to quit Radio 1 in 2015 when she was pregnant with her second baby. Motherhood gave her the "lioness confidence" to bring about change in her own life.

She told Red magazine: "I’ve always had a plan, always known either 'that’s what I want to do' or I’ve been doing it. But having a baby gave me a lioness confidence and a complete shift of perspective about how I looked at the business. I didn’t take it as seriously and I wasn’t as obsessed."

Happy Place

Moving on from her TV and radio career, Cotton has built up a huge brand Happy Place which she first launched in 2018. She interviews celebrities for her weekly Happy Place podcast. This year her high-profile interviewees include Rebel Wilson, Michelle Keegan and Crystal Hefner - the last wife of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.

Cotton has spoken openly about her anxiety and how she wants her podcast to "breed connection and offers people solace if they’re feeling alone".

As well as the podcast, she has an app which helps people "manage stress, sleep soundly, relax and prioritise self care". Plus, Cotton now organises the Happy Place festival.

On Lorraine, Cotton lifted the lid on the Happy Place festivals saying: "Our big summer festivals are coming up. Yoga, meditations, talks, expressive arts, I feel really driven to do these things. The festival is a lot of work! It's more stressful than organising a wedding."

Celebrities including Frankie Bridge, Olivia Atwood and Denise Van Outen are penned down to do talks at her upcoming festival dates.

Being an author

Writing has become a huge solace for Cotton. The author has penned eight self help books, four books on healthy eating and two children's books but now she is turning to fiction for the first time. Her book Scripted is out now.

Of her new venture, she wrote on Instagram: "It's brought me immense joy over the last two years and I can only hope it provides the same for you. The protagonist Jade has lost her confidence and her ability to speak up when she needs to, but when she starts finding scripts in random places containing scenes from her future life, she starts to wonder why.

"These scripts act as a prompt for her to examine the dynamics in her life and to challenge the big characters she has to deal with. Go on a journey with Jade as she tries to re-write the script of her life."

Celebrity Gogglebox

While Cotton said she doesn't do TV anymore, she has joined the starry line-up for Celebrity Gogglebox 2024 and we can't wait to see what she thinks of some of our favourite shows.

It's not the first time she has done Celebrity Gogglebox. She first appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox in 2022 alongside fellow TV presenter and fashionista and DJ Gok Wan.