Fearne Cotton issues six-word statement over biggest wish for younger self following marriage split

Fearne Cotton is aware that the fast pace of life can sometimes take a toll on her, making beautiful, ambitious, and spinning plates seemingly with ease. And the former radio DJ, 43, has certainly had a turbulent few months. She revealed in a health update posted at the beginning of December that she had had two benign tumors removed from her jaw. Then, just days later, the 43-year-old announced her shock split, after 10 years of marriage, from husband Jesse Wood, 48, father to her children Rex, 11, and Honey, nine.

Fearne discusses finding the balance between her natural energy and making time for self-care as she discusses today’s opening conversation with the wellness brand Ancient + Brave, with whom her popular podcast Happy Place has collaborated. She also acknowledges that she wishes she had been kinder to herself back in the day.

Hi, Fearne! You are busy a lot. Do you see value ina fast-paced life, and when does it start to take its toll?

Such a mind-blowing question, because I know that I’m naturally drawn to living in quite a fast way. Although I enjoy talking about well-being and taking good care of myself, I also feel like I need to do something for everyone. I feel really excited about what’s coming next. It does feel overwhelming and I don’t like pretending otherwise because I’m ambitious and don’t like to pretend otherwise. However, I also enjoy being an engaged parent and seeing all the milestones, so I think it takes a toll.

Do you recognise it in yourself, when things start to taketheirtoll?

I used to push myself and push myself constantly, and that probably stems from not being very kind to myself when I was younger. I think, with age, I’ve wanted to be kinder to myself and treat myself with]more] respect. So, I’m on that learning curve. Again, I haven’t nailed it but I do feel in my forties so much more able to go, “Oh this isn’t feeling great”, and I need to change something.

What, in your opinion, constitutes true happiness?

I like this question, obviously because of Happy Place, and it’s quite a loaded title, because I don’t think it’s an end destination – it’s very much up for debate. This ginormous roller coaster of having these incredible highs but firmly believing that it lived in the future, that it was this other version of me that was better, liked, and more successful, and respected, was the old model of happiness for me. I eventually learned that when you reach a milestone and receive whatever accolade, you say, “Oh no, I’ve brought myself, I’m still here and I haven’t changed. I thought there would be a new one of me when I got here and it’s just me still”, and it’s really irritating. So, I don’t pin my happiness on that so much any more.

How have you changed then?

I still have goals, but I don’t think I’ll achieve them unless I do. So I believe that happiness right now is difficult to define, but it does have to do with feeling very upbeat and enthralled with what is happening. I am aware of checking out when I’m not feeling well and simply acting. I believe that both how much I like myself and how much I didn’t like myself have changed over time. We all have moments of self-loathing, but when that was really ruling the show, it’s so hard to feel happy when you don’t like yourself. I feel much more at ease with who I am and what I want to say now. You can feel good about yourself because you think you deserve it a little more.

What does your sense of bravery entail?

Being authentic requires absolute courage to act completely yourself and without any outside influence, without the fear that others will judge you and make you feel bad about yourself, even though the word is so overused that it almost has no meaning now. Because I spent the majority of my adult life and some of my childhood in the public eye, that’s a big deal to me because it seemed like a lot of money to people who liked me. So, in my opinion, bravery seems to be a peeling back of layers at this point in life. How can I be more me and not worry if I leave this room today and people don’t like me or believe I’m being obnoxious? Because, at the end of the day, it isn’t really important.

Are there moments where youhavedoubted the paththatyou’re on?

Oh yeah, huge chunks of my life – and I don’t think you’re aware of it when you’re in it but something feels off. And then, in retrospect, you might wonder, “I don’t know what I was doing there,” and I was stumbling through life without a clue. That’s not to say I’m on a clear path now. I always like to leave room for, “I didn’t think I was going to go down here, this is interesting”.

How do you reclaim your balance?

With my kids a bit older, I feel I’m in a new era. It’s simple things like walking – if I’m back-to-back recording or I’m on a writing deadline, if I can get an hour’s walk at some point in the day where I just listen to really beautiful music, it makes me feel really happy. That usually just works to temporarily reset me. I need to schedule in a little fun and be a little loose right away, so what I’m trying to do is go “no.” That is balance because I had a schedule and the balance had turned the other way for me. I’m really getting back with people I love by having fun and having fun together, and it feels really good. It does indicate that my house occasionally feels chaotic because I’m like, “Oh God, I definitely went to bed too late and I’m definitely a bit tired.” But there’s got to be room for mess, problems, failure, hangovers and eating bad food occasionally, so fun is becoming a tonic for me at the moment.

What are your personal wellness tools’ main pieces?

Moving my body when I can – doesn’t have to be anything wild. As I age, it actually starts to get less and less wild. Walking, painting, seeing friends, having a laugh, and therapy – therapy has changed my life, it’s been very important to me and something I’m still very dedicated to. Even if your only listening companion is a good friend. I utterly abuse my friends in that manner, and I sincerely hope they will abuse me in the same way. I’m not trying to fix anyone, they’re not trying to fix me, but just having someone that listens to you can be enough.

What made you decide to work for Ancient + Brave, and how?

I believe that looking at the lovely packaging and using social media made me first notice of Ancient + Brave, like all good things! As someone who is hugely interested in wellness, I love trying new things. I love learning about supplements, and I love learning about how we can take care of ourselves. I don’t know what the first product I tried was, it might have been the Cacao + Reishi, and I still love that one. It’s an ultimate favourite and very versatile. We are just very much on the same page about working the lovely partnership with Happy Place. We want to try to spread some goodwill and hope.

True Ashwagandha and True Magnesium+ have become an essential part of Ancient + Brave’s toolkit for balance and resilience. How do you integrate these into daily life?

I’ve always had a strict diet when taking supplements and making sure I’m getting the most of them. I don’t need to get pumped up or feel energetic, so these particular products are all about feeling calm and balanced. I need to unwind, so I’m going to need anything to help me feel at ease and grounded.

Source: Mirror