Archive August 20, 2025

Fern Britton has shared the one book she’s determined to read this summer as she embarks on a Mediterranean retreat – and it’s another Sunday Times bestseller

Television presenter and bestselling novelist Fern Britton has revealed the one book she’s looking forward to reading this summer during her Mediterranean getaway.

The former This Morning host has recently celebrated launching her newest novel, A Cornish Legacy, which taps into Fern’s personal experiences, delving into themes of separation, inheritance and the emotional burden of old homes. She’s also penned other Sunday Times chart-toppers – including A Good Catch, Coming Home, and The Newcomer – decades following the publication of her debut book in 1998, whilst still presenting Ready Steady Cook.

Chatting to Woman and Home, Fern revealed her summer reading choice for an upcoming break is inspired by the Greek island she’s visiting in August.

READ MORE: Fern Britton admits she got a ‘kidney punch’ from King Charles’ protection officerREAD MORE: Fern Britton’s ‘awkward’ live TV reunion with Phil Vickery after her cold revelation

This tale follows an Italian officer who becomes shunned by the island’s inhabitants before gaining acceptance and getting caught up in a romantic triangle, reports the Express.

“I am going to read Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, as I’m off to Kefalonia, where the story of a soldier falling in love with someone else’s fiancé is set,” Fern revealed to the magazine.

“I hope to catch glimpses of their spirits as I walk along a moon-dappled beach.”

Kefalonia is a stunning holiday spot, renowned for its spectacular natural splendour, particularly its coastlines, caverns, and diverse terrain.

The island, which is the biggest in the Ionian Sea off Greece’s western shore, is encircled by azure waters and is celebrated for its farming output, especially olive oil. Despite her choice of a troubled romance novel, Fern has clarified her own romantic situation, confessing she’s quite content being single after a few tumultuous years.

“These past six to seven years it’s been one thing after another,” she shared with fans, adding: “My parents died; my marriage ended; I had a stalker.

“I managed very well, but the repercussions were like a sonic boom. Everyone keeps asking me if I’m dating. Nobody’s dating me. I’m enjoying my own company. I’m not fearful about going to a restaurant on my own, travelling on my own.”

Her marriage to Phil Vickery ended in 2020 after twenty years, while last year a 63 year old man was given a 10-year restraining order and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to stalking her.

“I’m actually very good at it now, and it’s OK,” she revealed, referring to spending time alone, in a chat with The Times.

Fern Britton has shared the one book she’s determined to read this summer as she embarks on a Mediterranean retreat – and it’s another Sunday Times bestseller

Television presenter and bestselling novelist Fern Britton has revealed the one book she’s looking forward to reading this summer during her Mediterranean getaway.

The former This Morning host has recently celebrated launching her newest novel, A Cornish Legacy, which taps into Fern’s personal experiences, delving into themes of separation, inheritance and the emotional burden of old homes. She’s also penned other Sunday Times chart-toppers – including A Good Catch, Coming Home, and The Newcomer – decades following the publication of her debut book in 1998, whilst still presenting Ready Steady Cook.

Chatting to Woman and Home, Fern revealed her summer reading choice for an upcoming break is inspired by the Greek island she’s visiting in August.

READ MORE: Fern Britton admits she got a ‘kidney punch’ from King Charles’ protection officerREAD MORE: Fern Britton’s ‘awkward’ live TV reunion with Phil Vickery after her cold revelation

This tale follows an Italian officer who becomes shunned by the island’s inhabitants before gaining acceptance and getting caught up in a romantic triangle, reports the Express.

“I am going to read Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, as I’m off to Kefalonia, where the story of a soldier falling in love with someone else’s fiancé is set,” Fern revealed to the magazine.

“I hope to catch glimpses of their spirits as I walk along a moon-dappled beach.”

Kefalonia is a stunning holiday spot, renowned for its spectacular natural splendour, particularly its coastlines, caverns, and diverse terrain.

The island, which is the biggest in the Ionian Sea off Greece’s western shore, is encircled by azure waters and is celebrated for its farming output, especially olive oil. Despite her choice of a troubled romance novel, Fern has clarified her own romantic situation, confessing she’s quite content being single after a few tumultuous years.

“These past six to seven years it’s been one thing after another,” she shared with fans, adding: “My parents died; my marriage ended; I had a stalker.

“I managed very well, but the repercussions were like a sonic boom. Everyone keeps asking me if I’m dating. Nobody’s dating me. I’m enjoying my own company. I’m not fearful about going to a restaurant on my own, travelling on my own.”

Her marriage to Phil Vickery ended in 2020 after twenty years, while last year a 63 year old man was given a 10-year restraining order and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to stalking her.

“I’m actually very good at it now, and it’s OK,” she revealed, referring to spending time alone, in a chat with The Times.

He was once a national treasure with one of the most recognisable faces in the UK – now Huw Edwards lives a very different life away from the spotlight

Disgraced BBC newsreader Huw Edwards narrowly avoided jail for making indecent images of children, with his personal and professional lives falling apart in the process.

Edwards, 64, was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after he pled guilty to making seven Category A indecent images of children – the worst type – as well as 12 Category B, and 22 Category C images at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in September 2024.

On his birthday earlier this week, the star looked very different as he was seenclutching three mini bottles of prosecco, his grey stubble a stark contrast to the formerly clean-cut broadcaster known to millions around the UK. Edwards was pictured returning to his car after a brief shopping outing in Swansea, Wales.

READ MORE: BBC staff left ‘raging’ as Huw Edwards keeps hold of £200k salary amid job losses

The presenter was earning more than £475,000 at the BBC as the anchor of News At Ten in November 2023, when disturbing reports emerged that a high-profile, unnamed BBC presenter paid tens of thousands of pounds for explicit photos.

A mother claimed this went on from 2020, when their child was 17, for three years, which funded their child’s drug habit. He was suspended from the BBC at the time.

The TV star was arrested later that year regarding a separate investigation. Edwards’ phone was seized which revealed his participation in Whats App exchanges with convicted paedophile Alex Williams, who between the years 2018 and 2021 sent him indecent images of children, including two videos of a boy believed to be between the ages of seven and nine years old.

The star’s wife of 30 years Vicky Flind released a statement following the original allegation saying her husband was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and receiving in-patient care.

But as other accusations came to light, Vicky is said to have launched proceedings to end their marriage, with their £4.75 million home in Dulwich, South London, put up for sale.

A source told The Sun:”Vicky had enough of Edwards a long time ago but this is the final nail in the coffin of their relationship. He’s put her and their family through hell, so this was inevitable.”

Edwards continued to sport his wedding ring during his court case but the former couple are said to only communicate through their lawyers nowadays. Professionally, the broadcaster’s life has also crumbled.

Images from earlier this year showed Edwards frowning as he puffed on a vape. Speaking to the publication, an onlooker said: “He looked a shadow of his former, super-confident self — but there was no mistaking it was him.

“He was vaping and coughing and spluttering a bit, and didn’t look in the best shape. But he was lucky to be enjoying his freedom when most people think he should have been jailed for what he did.”

The disgraced star had been the corporation’s top-earning newsreader, earning between £475,000 and £479,999 in the year 2023/24 when he was arrested.

He continued to be paid by the BBC until he resigned five months later and it appears he hasn’t repaid the £200,000 he earned during that period as requested by the broadcaster.

BBC Chairman Samir Shah recently told Times Radio: “We’ve been asking him and asking him and asking him. We’re getting legal advice on it”, adding: “If Huw is listening, give it back. Just give it back”.

Edwards was estimated to be worth as much as £3.8 million at his peak, with lucrative book and documentary deals and gigs presenting top awards shows topping up his BBC salary.

As Judge Paul Goldspring told the celebrity at his sentencing: “It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters.”

Speaking at the Royal Television Society (RTS) London conference the month the broadcaster was convicted, BBC director-general Tim Davie stated that he “can’t see” Edwards working for the corporation ever again.