Fearne Cotton says she has very ‘amicable’ relationship with estranged husband

By Lauren Del Fabbro, PA Entertainment Reporter

BBC Radio 2 presenter Fearne Cotton said she has a very “amicable” relationship with her estranged husband.

The 43-year old podcast host and author announced her split from musician Jesse Wood in December, after 10 years of marriage.

The pair share two children, Rex and Honey, while Cotton also has two more children, Arthur and Lola, from a previous relationship.

Macbeth at the Harold Pinter Theatre – London
Jesse Wood and Fearne Cotton split in December (PA) Photo by Ian West

Speaking on ITV talk show Lorraine, Cotton said: “I’m good, really good, happy, and it’s all very amicable, and the kids doing great. So yeah, I’m in a very good space.

“I’ve sat on this very chair before and been riddled with anxiety, but I’m in a really good place where I don’t really have it any more.

“I’ve been very lucky that I’ve done a bunch of therapy and I’ve made a few tweaks to my life, but I’m pretty much anxiety-free, I would say.”

Cotton married Wood, the son of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, in July 2014.

Exhibitionism: The Rolling Stones Exhibition Opening Night Gala – London
Jesse Wood and Fearne Cotton were married for 10 years (Ian West/PA) Photo by Ian West

The broadcaster began her career in the late 1990s, presenting children’s television shows for GMTV, CITV and CBBC, before going on to host Top Of The Pops and The Xtra Factor.

She then became the first regular female presenter of the Radio 1 Chart Show in 2007, going on to present her own weekday 10am show on the station from 2009 before leaving in 2015.

Cotton has been very vocal about her anxiety and the pressure of being in the public eye, and has since founded a wellness brand, Happy Place, which includes a festival and podcast where she discusses life, love and loss with a celebrity guest while exploring what happiness means to them.

Her comments come after she had two benign tumours removed from her jaw, months after presenter Davina McCall underwent surgery to remove a colloid cyst – a type of rare fluid-filled benign tumour in the brain.

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Davina McCall recently had surgery to remove a benign tumour in her brain (Ian West/PA) Photo by Ian West

She said: “(Davina’s) been amazing. I mean it was weird that we both had a kind of similar health thing going on at the same time. So I spoke to her nearly every day – I still do, we speak every day.

“She’s just the best mate and was so calming, because her operation was a little bit before mine. So when I was in hospital, I talked to her quite a lot, and, yeah, she’s just been amazing.”

Speaking about her surgery, Cotton added: “I felt weirdly calm and I’m not quite sure why, and I was very grateful it was benign.

“It ended up being one tumour, and then I had to have a few lymph nodes out, but it was wrapping itself around a nerve that basically, sort of controls all of your facial expressions, there is a bit of a risk, but I felt I was in really good hands.

“I just feel very grateful that I’ve completely recovered. I feel really good.”

Cotton hosts Sounds Of The 90s with Fearne Cotton on BBC Radio 2, and has written several self-help books including Calm: Working Through Life’s Daily Stresses To Find A Peaceful Centre.