‘As soon as my mum died, he stopped talking to me,’ she said

Former This Morning host Fern Britton, who is starring in her own Channel 5 series, My Cornwall with Fern Britton, on Sunday, September 14, claimed that her ex-husband, Phil Vickery, stopped communicating with her following the tragic death of her beloved mum.

The couple tied the knot in the spring of 2000 and remained married for 20 years. In January 2020, they announced they had split. However, according to Fern, it appears things were going south for a while before the official announcement…

After 20 years of marriage, Fern and Phil split in 2020 (Credit: Splashnews.com)

Why did Fern Britton and Phil Vickery split up?

“After more than 20 happy years together, Phil and I have decided to go our separate ways,” Fern shared in a statement.

“We will always share a great friendship and our lovely children. We would appreciate it if our privacy is respected at this time. Thank you for your continued kindness and support.”

Fern has three children from her previous marriage to television executive Clive Jones – twins Harry and Jack and daughter Grace. Phil Vickery acted as a stepfather to them. She also shares daughter Winnie, 23, with Phil.

During a 2020 appearance on Good Morning Britain, Fern said that when both her parents died, her marriage “fell apart”. And, while talking to Woman & Home magazine, Fern insisted they both “needed to follow our own paths”.

However, she later revealed more particularly heartbreaking details…

Fern Britton says husband Phil Vickery ‘stopped talking’ to her when her mum died

In a new interview Yours magazine in June, Fern explained that she and Phil are no longer on speaking terms, and haven’t been for years.

“He hasn’t spoken to me for six years now. As soon as my mum died, he stopped talking to me,” the former Celebrity Big Brother star said. Fern’s mum, Ruth, died in 2018, two years before they announced their divorce.

Fern admitted their daughter, Winnie, “adores” her dad Phil and added: “So I’m not going to bad-mouth him in front of her; at least, I try very hard not to. I was the child of divorced parents and my mum never bad-mouthed my father,” she said.

As Fern continues to promote her new novel, A Cornish Legacy, the TV star insisted she is not looking for sympathy from the public.

“Like many people, I’ve been through divorce so I have an understanding of it. And that made it easier to write about in the new book,” she continued.

ED! contacted Phil’s reps for comment.

Fern doesn’t want to get married again (Credit: ITV)

‘I don’t want to ever marry again’

While speaking to Woman & Home last year, Fern confessed she’s not interested in exchanging vows again.

“I don’t want to ever marry again. I don’t ever want to live with anyone again. It’s enough to look after myself and I’ve done enough looking after other people,” she declared.

“I haven’t dated anyone properly for 25 years. It’s been a long time!”