In 2008, Fern Britton fronted a Ryvita Bikini Fit campaign after losing an astonishing five stone, which everyone believed was down to healthy eating and a gruelling exercise regime.
However, it soon transpired that the ex-This Morning presenters significant weight loss had been aided by a secret gastric band she had fitted two years earlier.
Despite the huge fallout and furious public backlash, Fern, 61, remains resolute over the headline-grabbing incident, insisting she never actually lied about having the gastric band fitted all those years ago.
Twisting the truth
After her gastric band was fitted in 2006, Fern went from a size 22 to
a size 12. At the time, the star was pocketing an estimated £200,000
as the face of Ryvita.
When she was asked about the secret of her jaw-dropping weight loss at the time, Fern didnt make any mention of having had the surgical procedure, instead saying it was down to lots of hard work.
Fans of the relatable and much-loved host were understandably left feeling cheated when it emerged shed had some help to shed the pounds.
A year on from the debacle and with her popularity declining, Fern stepped down from hosting duties on This Morning with ITV bosses admitting they werent aware of her secret surgery either. Fern later said that she had never been motivated by money or by ambition.
Body battle
Despite the wave of negative headlines,
Fern praised her gastric band and how
it had helped change her shape.
For me its worked, she said. Ive got good cholesterol now. Im incredibly fit. Im the same size I was at 24. I can do the splits – Ive always been very bendy.
But 11 years on, the TV star – who has been diagnosed with arthritis, which she describes as the biggest challenge in her life – has reflected on body image, claiming that too much emphasis is put on the way women look.
I hate that people care so much about what size and shape of womens bodies, said Fern. Im not perfect – my boobs and knees are going south – but am I bothered? Not really.
And, with Fern currently appearing in the UK tour of Gary Barlows uplifting hit musical Calendar Girls, it seems shes finally accepted her body.
Ferns U-Turn
But Fern – who is married to Phil Vickery – insists she wasnt asked to share exactly how she managed to lose the weight.
I hadnt lied, she said. Its something I did for myself, and I naively thought Im entitled to privacy, but clearly Im not.Read More – Source
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