Author, radio and podcast host and TV presenter, Fearne Cotton is on the comedown from her Happy Place festival. She chats to Stacey Carter about being rubbish at self-care, why she doesn’t share everything on social media and how she’s managing self-criticism
Fearne on her mental health
“I wanted to write a book about life, feelings and emotions and I thought I could be vague and nebular and keep that stuff to myself, and then, on the other hand, I could be honest about everything. It was terrifying because I hadn’t talked about it up until that point. It took a lot of courage, but I thought, well, what do I have to lose? These are my feelings, this is how I’ve been going about life and this is what I want to say about it.”
Fearne on self-criticism
“It’s always hanging about. Some days I’ll feel good when I wake up and I won’t really hear it and then other days it’s really loud. I’ve done this job for so long and I’ve had to take criticism about myself since the age of 15, so I’ve gotten used to outside opinions, but that does make you overly critical and sensitive. If I want to mitigate it, I talk to friends, my husband, and my manager. It’s about having that awareness and filtering out the truth from the rubbish in your head.”
Fearne on parenting
“Parenting in particular, is harder than anything I’ve done. I love my kids and the experience is amazing, but knowing you’re raising human beings with fresh eyes on this planet and you’re guiding them through life…” she pauses. “I know a lot of other friends who feel the same. You can constantly feel like you’re doing it wrong. Which is bizarre, because as a mum you love your kids and that should be enough of a foundation, but it’s really hard.”
To read the full interview, pick up the November issue of Health & Wellbeing with Fearne Cotton, on sale on the 3rd October.
