Product Description

For years now, Fern Britton has been widely loved as the presenter of Ready Steady Cook, and, more recently, co-presenter of This Morning with Philip Schofield. Never one to shy away from a good laugh or cry on national TV, she has none-the-less never talked about herself to the public, preferring to keep her private life private. Her warmth and humour, empathy and compassion, have made her feel like a best friend to millions on a daily basis, but no one knows the woman behind the sparkling smile. Now, for the first time, she is going to tell her story. And it is one that will strike a chord with women everywhere. Life as a child was not always easy, and she faced private and public challenges with her personal life, appearance and her career as she climbed the ladder to fame. Now a full-time working mum, with a very happy marriage to her second husband Phil Vickery, she is at the top of her game, and ready to tell it like it is. So put your feet up and get ready for a great read.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10813 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 368 pages

About the Author
Fern is the co-presenter of the flagship ITV show, This Morning. She began her career on television in the West Country, before moving to GMTV and the iconic Ready Steady Cook. Fern has become a much sought after presenter for shows including Have I Got News For You, Soap Star Superstar and Celebrity Mr and Mrs. She is also deeply committed to a number of charities that work with and for women, including Women for Women. Fern is married to the well known chef Phil Vickery, and lives in Buckinghamshire with Phil and her four children.

Customer Reviews

A really good read!
Not normally a reader of "celeb" autobiographies which for the most part are turgid and badly written, I approached this with some trepidation. In fact, it is very well written, giving a real insight into Fern Britton's life and work. It is a very good example of how a public persona can be hiding a much deeper self. She inter-cuts the more distant past with her current life, a device which sounds as if it would be enfuriating but this works extraordinarily well, the narrative flowing smoothly along. All in all, this a really good and entertaining read which can be heartily recommended as a Christmas present!

Heartwarming and inspirational
I have been a fan of Fern's for years. I admit I was disappointed when it all came out about her gastric band and I bought the book fearing that it would be a whitewash. It isn't. Fern has not had it easy. The proof that she really is the nice person I always thought she was is that she doesn't point fingers or spill blood and guts in the way that has become commonplace in celebrity biographies which, in my view, is all to her credit. Yet reading between the lines, her father being totally absent, her stepfather being less than easy... I have a much clearer understanding of how she manages to emphathise with people who go on This Morning. Her descriptions of depression so closely mirrored my own that it was a great comfort to me. People always say "Oh you can't be a depressive, you're always laughing and joking and seem so happy" Yes, I am by nature happy, but when depression descends on me it is as if I have fallen off the platform that everyone else stands on and from which one can operate normally. In a horrible way it is comforting to know that someone known for being so smiley, can have felt the same.

I was lucky enough to be able to conceive my children normally and this is the first time I have really understood the pressures that face women in Fern's situation. It's not something you can ask anyone about. Thanks to her book, I can now appreciate just how painful it must be and the joy Fern experienced, and the difficult decision to leave the twins' father had me in tears. I thoroughly recommend this book. It told me so much, not only about Fern's past but also about her current life, busy and happy. Well done Fern.

hugely enjoyable and insightful
Not a habitual reader of celebrity autobiogaphies, i bought this as a gift and started reading it myself, and couldn't stop! It is a poignant and insightful account of Fern's life in and out of the spotlight, and gives a fascinating picture of life behind the TV screen, and the struggle it took her to get there. In a world fascinated by the media, it's great to get a view from the inside, and a personal understanding of the way it works.

Extremely well written and structured it is really un-put-down-able! highly recommended.