Fearne Cotton admits she left BBC Radio 1 because it was ‘ruining her mind’

Fearne Cotton, 39, is the cover star of Red magazine’s September issue (Picture: Philip Sinden/Red)

Fearne Cotton has opened up about her mental health issues, revealing that she quit her long-running job on BBC Radio 1 because it was ‘ruining her mind’.

The 39-year-old TV and radio star ended her time at the station in 2015 when she fell pregnant with her daughter Honey, having spent a decade on the airwaves.

Alongside a TV career that included stints on Celebrity Juice, The Xtra Factor and Top of the Pops, she presented her own Radio 1 show for six years.

Always candid about her personal experiences and her mental health battles, Fearne told Red magazine that she had no choice but to ‘walk away’ because ‘it was literally ruining my mind..’

‘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****cks.’

Fearne, who is now better known as a podcast host and best-selling author, spoke honestly about finding purpose in her work after years of ‘climbing the ladder’ in the entertainment industry.

She spoke about stepping down from her Radio 1 show in 2015 and prioritising her mental health (Picture: Philip Sinden/Red)

Fearne looked stunning in a shoot for Red magazine (Picture: Philip Sinden/Red)

In her podcast Happy Place, Fearne talks to incredible people about life, love, loss, and everything in-between and she tries to discover what happiness means to them.

Of her podcast, Fearne explained: ‘All I want to do is help create something that breeds connection and offers people solace if they’re feeling alone.’

‘I did years of work that was enjoyable, but didn’t necessarily always have a point to it, and I think you get to an age or maybe you go through certain experiences in life where you think, “There has to be more meaning to all of this.

‘You can climb the ladder to get to the best radio show or the TV show with the biggest audience, but then what? What’s the goal?”’

She went on: ‘That’s why I’m probably more driven now than I ever have been, because I have to use what I’ve built up for a purpose.’

Fearne is married to musician Jesse Wood, 44, the son of Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood.

The pair tied the knot in 2014 and have two children together, Rex, seven and Honey, five.

More: BBC

The former radio host opened up about her marriage, quitting the BBC and her mental health (Picture: Philip Sinden/Red)

She is also stepmum to Jesse’s son and daughter from a previous marriage Arthur, 19, and Lola, 15.

Fearne said: ‘We’ve been together for more than 10 years now, and I don’t want to get all sickly, but we’re probably more in love than we’ve ever been. We’re in a good place – an ever-undulating but good place.’

The September issue of Red is on sale from 5th August.

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