Fearne Cotton says she quit BBC as it was ‘ruining her mind’

Presenter quit Radio 1 in 2015, and subsequently ITV2’s ‘Celebrity Juice’ in 2018

Fearne Cotton has revealed she quit BBC Radio 1 as the job was “ruining her mind”.

The former TV regular parted ways from the station in 2015, having presented the Radio 1 Chart Show since 2007, and then her own daily show since 2009. She also departed the long-running panel show Celebrity Juice in 2018, and has since moved into the health and wellness space.

“I had to walk away because it was literally ruining my mind,” Cotton told Red Magazine’s September issue. “A lot of people still believe in this myth that people on TV or social media are these perfect people with perfect lives, and, of course, it’s all a load of b*******.”

She added that fame tends to create a barrier between a person and “real life”.

“It doesn’t matter what my job is. It doesn’t matter how many followers I have. Let’s just connect on the most human level, because all fame does is create distance between you and real life. I don’t want to be disconnected from real life. I want to be in the thick of it.”

Cotton previously revealed in 2020 that presenting had affected her mental health, and that she didn’t “feel connected” to many aspects of the entertainment industry.

“I didn’t feel like I fitted in,” she said. “I always felt like someone was about to slag me off. It gets really tiring and hurtful and I had to walk away.”

Fearne Cotton at the National Television Awards (Getty Images)

Since leaving television and radio, Cotton has launched a podcast and published a number of self-help and recipe books.

Cotton’s full interview with Red Magazine can be found in its September issue, which is out now.