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Fern Britton has claimed her ex-husband, TV chef Phil Vickery, ‘stopped talking’ to her following the loss of her mum.

The TV presenter, 67, and Phil, 64, were married for two decades before their 2020 divorce, which came as Fern’s parents died.

In a new interview, Fern has claimed Phil stopped talking to her after the death of her mother in 2018, and she’s had no contact since.

‘He hasn’t spoken to me for six years now. As soon as my mum died, he stopped talking to me,’ she said told Yours Magazine.

Fern shares daughter Winnie Vickery, 23, with Phil, so says she will try to never bad-mouth him.

The former This Morning presenter explained: ‘Winnie adores him. 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.’

When announcing their separation in 2020, Fern’s statement read: ‘After more than 20 happy years together, Phil and I have decided to go our separate ways.

‘We will always share a great friendship and our lovely children.’

She later said that she and Phil ‘fell apart’ following the death of her parents. Fern’s mother, Ruth Britton, died in January 2018. Her father, actor Tony Britton, died shortly after.

Fern and Phil’s divorce came after her 2016 hysterectomy and a near-fatal sepsis diagnosis.

‘Then my mum died in 2018 and my dad died in 2019, and then my marriage [to chef Vickery] died,’ she said in a recent interview with The Telegraph,

‘Next, I discovered that my phone had been hacked for 15 years. And last year a man who was stalking me for several years went to court and was given a restraining order.

‘For a while, I was wondering what else could possibly happen. But lots of women endure difficult stuff and we just live with it and keep going.’

Phil was Fern’s second husband, as she was married to Clive Jones for two years before divorcing in 2000. Clive is the father of Fern’s three other children: Jack, Harry, and Grace.

She added that divorce was ‘not a breeze’, adding: ‘No matter how you hope it’s going to be easy and pain-free, inevitably it isn’t. It’s difficult and brings up a lot of unpleasant characteristics in everybody.’

Fern previously opened up about her mental and physical health struggles following the divorce and her parents’ deaths, saying she ‘fell into this era of indolence’ where she ‘just started lying in bed later and later and later’.

‘What was the purpose of getting up and getting dressed or getting showered or cleaning my teeth because I will soon be back in bed.

‘Why don’t I start smoking? Yes. Drinking. Yes, eating yes, the whole thing. And then it took me about a year to realise that I put a lot of weight on, that I was not breathing well.’

Now, Fern says she’s found her old self again, and is ‘enjoying life and having fun’ in her Cornish home, where she moved after her divorce.

Phil and Fern originally met on the set of BBC Two’s Ready Steady Cook and married in spring 2000.

Fern has just released her 11th novel, A Cornish Legacy, which tells the story of a woman called Cordelia Jago, as she inherits a crumbling mansion in Cornwall having lost everything.

Metro has contacted Phil Vickery’s representative for comment. 

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After a two-and-a-half year long wait, Netflix’s hit coming-of-age series Ginny & Georgia has returned for a third season.

The popular show follows the titular mother and daughter duo (played by Antonia Gentry and Brianne Howey) as the try to put down roots in a new town and escape their past.

By season three we see mum Georgia subjected to a grisly murder trial with the whole nation ‘judging every dark secret she’s tried to hide’.

Meanwhile, as well as coping with her mother’s high-profile trial, Ginny is navigating the usual teenage highs and lows of anguished romance and friendship woes.

It’s already proven to be the huge hit the streamers hoped it would be, easily topping the global Netflix charts with a whopping 17.6million viewers in its first week alone.

This comes alongside rave audience reviews with the third season receiving its highest score on Rotten Tomatoes yet with an impressive 82%.

For those looking to whet their appetite before diving into the chaos of the new season, look no further.

Several fans have praised the tonal-shift of the new episodes, moving away from the more cringey dialogue of seasons part for a deeper and grittier plot.

In particular fans shared their love for Max’s (Sara Waisglass) character arc and performance.

‘They ate down and devoured this was an amazing season, it was not cringy at all. It was so different from the first two seasons, it was so serious and I was so into it. I binged watched the whole series,’ RT user Adi F wrote.

‘Best season yet!!! The writing on this show (at least for Netflix) is REAL TV, especially through Max’s character.

‘There’s so much going on and this should be a lesson to streamers to let a show grow and find its footing before you cancel it. After finishing the last two episodes, I can’t wait to see what happens next,’ Tyler D echoed.

‘WOW! WOW! WOW…Season 3!!! How amazing to be “reunited” with my favorite characters and slip right back into the twists and turns of the nuanced world that is Ginny & Georgia! The writing, the performances were next level!’ Lisa S shared.

‘Season three does not disappoint! Once again, I had a range of emotions…happy, pissed, relieved, tears, elation, shocked. It was so good! So much going on.’ Marni C added.

‘There’s just something about this season that really hit different. I’ve loved Ginny & Georgia from the start, and the team behind it keeps proving how talented they are. While the first two seasons had some cheesy moments, this one felt more grounded and real,’ Carley M agreed.

‘You could honestly tell why this season took so long to come out. The amount of effort put in by the writers was noticeable, carefully developing previously neglected characters while still doing right by plot lines carried over from previous seasons.

‘Certain scenes were truly gut-wrenching. This was hands down my favorite season of the show,’ Accursed B declared.

After ending on a suitable dramatic note, fans have been saved the agony of waiting for a renewal, with Netflix already greenlighting a fourth season.

Discussing her approach to the third season and exploring Georgia’s relationship with her children, creator Sarah Lampert told Hollywood Reporter that they spoke with a psychologist.

She explained: ‘We chatted with [psychologist] Dr. Taji again and we were like: “If we were going to bring them to a more healed relationship, what would have to happen?” And she said, “You’d have to break Georgia,”

‘Georgia needs to feel like she really might lose her kids, and only then could she change and want to change.’

As for exactly how that pans out, you’ll have to watch and see.

Ginny and Georgia is available to stream on Netflix now.

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Race Across the World star Sam Gardiner died from a ‘devastating brain injury’ sustained in a car crash, an inquest has heard.

The 24-year-old appeared on the BBC show with his mum Jo in the series which aired in March 2020. The mother-son duo were seen travelling across Mexico and Argentina for the cross-country challenge, before coming fourth.

Gardiner was driving a white Volkswagen Golf R estate when it came off the road and rolled on May 26.

The inquest into Gardiner’s death has now heard that he lost control of his car after hitting a curb on the A34 in in Gatley, near Cheadle.

Gardiner was taken to Salford Royal Hospital, where he died three days later, the hearing at Stockport Coroners’ Court was told.

The police coroner’s officer Andrew Levett told the inquest opening that Gardiner had died of a ‘devastating brain injury’ from the crash, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Levett added: ‘At approximately 9.49pm on Monday, May 26, Sam Gardiner was travelling on the A34 northbound heading towards Manchester when his vehicle collided with the curb on the central reservation.

‘He lost control of his vehicle before striking a tree and coming to a rest.’

Gardiner, who was a landscape gardener, had been working on an isolated estate on the west coast of Scotland and was home in Manchester for a family gathering.

The full inquest will be held on October 13.

In a statement, his parents, Jo and Andrew, said they are ‘devastated’ by the loss of Sam.

Their statement continued: ‘Sam left us far too soon, and whilst words will never fully capture the light, joy and energy he brought into our lives, we hold on to the memories that made him so special. Sam was adored by his family. As a son, brother and nephew, he was loyal, funny and fiercely protective.

‘He did Race Across the World in 2019, which opened his eyes to the wonder of adventure and travel. He was willing to go wherever the trail might lead, and he touched everyone he met on the road. He found great happiness working as a landscape gardener on the west coast of Scotland.

‘Sam brought warmth, laughter and a smattering of chaos wherever he went. He leaves behind a huge hole in our hearts. We will miss him endlessly, but we’ll also remember him with smiles, tall tales, and a depth of love that will never fade.’

The show paid tribute to him in a recent episode, while his loved ones have said they are ‘overwhelmed’ by the support they’ve received.

A JustGiving page launched in his memory, in aid of National FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder), has so far raised nearly £20,000.

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A Real Housewives of Atlanta star’s estranged husband has reportedly been deported from the US after months in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre.

Porsha Williams’, 43, estranged husband Simon Guobadia, 61, is said to have been released from ICE custody and deported back to Nigeria, where the businessman was born.

Guobadia is no longer listed on the US Department of Homeland Security system, which has details of all those in ICE custody.

A friend and business partner of Guobadia’s, Tai Savet, has said he is in ‘good spirits’ after a difficult four months in detention.

Amid ongoing protests in Los Angeles over the government’s immigration crackdown, Savet told Us Weekly that Guobadia isn’t angry at President Donald Trump, but would like a sit-down meeting with him.

The businessman was previously held at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, Us Weekly reported, during which his status was listed as ‘in ICE custody’, according to the US Department of Homeland Security’s records.

Real Housewives of Atlanta star Williams issued a statement when Guobadia was detained in February, amid her ongoing divorce proceedings with him.

‘It’s disheartening to see my estranged husband make choices that have led to this outcome. At this moment, my priority is moving forward with my family,’ she wrote on Instagram. 

Guobadia moved to the US in 1982 but reportedly overstayed his visa and was deported in 1992, local outlet WSB-TV reported. He then returned to the country and attempted to gain citizenship over the years, unsuccessfully.

Guobadia’s deportation comes amid President’s Trump’s deportation programme, which prompted violent protests in Los Angeles against the Trump administration and ICE. There is now a curfew in place in certain areas in LA.

Guobadia celebrated living in the US last year with an Instagram post just days before Williams filed for divorce from him, following 15 months of marriage.

Guobadia wrote: ‘Happy Tuesday to all who ever overcame and persevered in life. You are winning #42yearsLivinginAmerica.’

He was first introduced on the Bravo show as the husband of Williams’ RHOA co-star Falynn Pina, however the pair went their separate ways after filming season 13.

Williams broke her silence over the end of her 15-month marriage to Simon, who she first began dating in 2021, and acknowledged the supportive messages she had received from fans.

‘Thank you for your prayers & support.’ she wrote alongside a broken-heart emoji in a caption.

Metro contacted Porsha Williams and Simon Guobadia for comment.

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A sigh left my lips the second I saw the Love Island cast – 10 new faces, and only one Black woman and one Black man amongst them.

And it wasn’t long before another disappointment that would have been a gut punch to Black women like me watching – when Alima was dismissed in minutes by her new partner Blu, who bluntly told her she ‘wasn’t his type on paper’.

Blu’s line wasn’t just cringeworthy – it was downright heartbreaking. 

As a Black woman, it’s hard not to feel a surge of frustration and sadness when you see yet another Black woman on Love Island being relegated to the sidelines.

It’s not just about one comment; it’s about a pattern of erasure and the constant feeling of being an afterthought that I recognise from my own life. 

It reminds me of all those times of not feeling good enough, or feeling like I had to always be 10 times better than white counterparts just to get half of what they are getting. 

Or all those compliments about my ‘strength’ and ‘resilience’ while peers received comments on their beauty. 

So not only does the ITV show need to up their game in terms of recruiting Black islanders, they need to be wary of how they are treated. 

Because Love Island’s persistent failure to appropriately look after Black women – by failing to uplift them (whether that be because of lack of suitable romantic matches or, as in past seasons, placing them among people who have disrespected them) – isn’t just a casting issue, it’s a reflection of deeper societal biases. 

This has been a recurring theme across almost every season of the ITV show, with Yewande saying her name was mispronounced in 2019, Samira from 2018 being overlooked and feeling like she was the ‘token’ Black woman on the show, and Kaz Kamwi, like other Black female contestants before her (Yewande and Samira included), was chosen last in the initial coupling up during her stint in 2021. 

These incidents reveal a consistent pattern undermining the experiences of Black contestants, and the show’s producers need to take a long, hard look at the messages they’re sending. 

Are they actively seeking out diverse contestants who are genuinely attracted to Black women? Are they providing adequate emotional support, and representation and diversity behind the scenes, to ensure these women don’t feel isolated?

Until Love Island moves beyond surface-level diversity and tackles the underlying issues, it will continue to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and fail the Black women who dare to enter the villa. 

Yewande, a scientist, was often overlooked and found it difficult to form meaningful connections and has consistently spoken out about the lack of representation in the show, recounting her own experiences of men’s ‘types’ on the show invariably being Eurocentric ideals of blonde hair and blue eyes. 

Love Island needs to do better – not just for the sake of its Black contestants, but for the sake of its viewers, who deserve to see a more authentic and inclusive representation of love.

The UK is a melting pot, a vibrant tapestry of cultures and backgrounds. So why does Love Island insist on serving up the same tired narrative year after year where Black women are forced to ask why they aren’t doing more. 

Meanwhile, across the pond, Love Island USA is displaying a cast as diverse as the country it stands for. 

Watching that version, there are a number of Black contestants, all are celebrated in their own unique way. It gives viewers a sense of representation and a welcoming feeling. 

Olandria and Chelley are given more options and respected and found attractive in a way it often seems UK contestants aren’t. 

The conversation between Blu and Alima felt like a painful reminder of the narrow beauty standards that still dominate the show – and, let’s be honest, society.

I don’t think Blu would have told a blonde white girl that she wasn’t his type within seconds of meeting her. 

For me, Blu’s comment, and the wider issues with Love Island, just reinforces the idea that Black women are somehow less desirable, and that is a damaging message to send. 

Love Island needs to do more than just tick boxes. It needs to create a space where everyone feels valued and has a fair chance at finding love, regardless of their background. 

So with six weeks to go, let’s bring in some bombshells who actually appreciate Black contestants. It’s not about forcing anything, but about creating a space where everyone feels seen and desired. 

Love Island is viewed by millions, and it is off to a bleak start for Black women after last night. 

But it has the potential to be more than just a manufactured drama fest. It’s time to ditch the tired tropes and create a season that’s genuinely exciting, inclusive, and full of surprises.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

Former Gogglebox star Daniel Lustig-Webb has publicly shared that he is deaf in one ear after decades of hiding his health condition.

The 50-year-old TV personality rose to fame during his five-year tenure on the hit Channel 4 reality series which he featured on with his ex-husband Stephen Webb from 2018 to 2023.

Earlier this week he opened up to his 121,000 Instagram followers about the life-changing childhood diagnosis that has ‘shaped his life’.

‘I’ve been half deaf since I was a child,’ he said in a new interview.

He explained that he contracted mumps when he was younger causing an infection which ultimately led to ‘complete and permanent hearing loss in one ear.’

Before continuing to Scenemag: ‘For years, I hid it. I didn’t want people to see me as ‘different’ or less capable. At school, it was tough, I was often picked on and teachers told me I was “thick” because I struggled to concentrate, not realising it was because I couldn’t hear properly.

‘It made me really insecure. I thought I was just failing.’

He described trying to keep up in social situations ‘exhausting’ due to his condition and has at times been ‘forced to pretend’ he could hear what people were saying which took ‘its toll’.

‘I’ve had to learn to listen differently, and sometimes I just switch off,’ the Hove-based hairdresser added.

‘I feel ready to be open about it. At 50, I feel like it’s finally time to stop hiding and to be proud of who I am,’ he explained alongside his plans to learn sign language to connect with the wider community.

‘Deafness isn’t a weakness, it’s part of me,’ Daniel shared hoping to shed light on the ‘isolation and frustration’ that comes with being hard of hearing.

‘It’s part of millions of lives. And it should be talked about openly, without shame,’ he continued.

The latest figures from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People indicating upwards of 18 million adults across the UK are affected by hearing loss or tinnitus.

As he enters a new decade he is ‘learning to love and accept all parts of [himself]’.

Fans have shared their support for Daniel in the comments on Instagram.

‘You should never hide yourself you are a beautiful person inside and out,’ jopurdy2 said.

‘Be proud and loud, love and hugs,’ kim.mooney.779 shared.

Earlier this year, Daniel opened up about the impact of his breakup with his ex, Stephen.

The pair – who had been together for 11 years and married for six – announced their shock break-up in April 2024 but have remained in each other’s lives as friends.

In recent interview, however, Daniel revealed that he ‘didn’t see [the split] coming’ and called the end of their relationship ‘devastating’ and ‘traumatic’.

Speaking on podcast Suddenly Single, he said: ‘We were completely entwined for so long, with our businesses, the dogs, we were so close in everything we did.

‘There was nothing underhand happening, no-one had slept with anyone else.’

In the end, their differences became too much with Daniel adding: ‘Stephen was the complete opposite to me, and we’d say opposites attracted, but fundamentally that was our problem in the end.’

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An Australian thriller based on a best-selling novel can now be binged in full in the UK.

In 2020, the first season of the psychological thriller series The Secrets She Keeps hit screens.

Based on the book of the same name by acclaimed crime-fiction writer Michael Robotham, it was adapted by Sarah Walker and Jonathan Gavin, the former of which worked on shows including Home and Away, Neighbours and All Saints.

Set in Sydney, the series follows two women from ‘vastly different backgrounds with explosive secrets that could destroy everything they hold dear’.

It stars Jessica De Gouw (Arrow, Dracula) as Meghan Shaughnessy, who is happily pregnant with her third child. However, her husband Jack (Michael Dorman) is on edge, facing money issues and a stressful job.

Meanwhile, Agatha Fyfle (Downton Abbey’s Laura Carmichael) is also pregnant, with both women’s lives soon colliding.

At the time of its release, critics were somewhat unconvinced by the storyline but praised the lead stars’ performances.

‘Without performances as layered and emotionally sound as the ones Carmichael and De Gouw give, The Secrets She Keeps would be little more than the aforementioned pulpy ride,’ Paste Magazine shared.

‘The whole thing is held together by Laura Carmichael as Aggie, a compulsive liar played at the screeching end of camp, complete with weird, limp hair and beaky fury,’ The Sunday Times wrote.

‘The leads bring more than enough credibility to their roles to make the series worth watching,’ Decider added.

However, viewers gave much more glowing reviews.

‘It was gripping, and off-the-charts, and more than once, difficult and even stressful to watch. But this is what the best dramas do: they evoke a response from the viewer, and this did that in spades,’ user InnerWisdom1000 posted on IMDB.

‘Good casting, very entertaining and pretty tense at times. Would definitely recommend,’ Laura wrote.

‘First episode I wasn’t sure, but this series turned into a binge watch for me! Dark, and with some pretty good twists, the story of Agatha and Megan is brilliantly done. Agatha especially gets more and more bonkers in a sinister way,’ Juli added.

Although the first season was originally made available on BBC iPlayer, it was later taken down.

But two years after the second season was released, UK fans and those yet to tune in can now watch both in full on Channel 4, where the show has been uploaded this week.

The original novel was inspired by the kidnapping of newborn baby Abbie Sundgren in Nottingham in 1994.

Just three hours after her birth, Abbie was taken by a woman posing as a nurse, who kept her for 17 days.

At the time, author Michael Robotham was working as a journalist in London and covered the story, which he used as the basis of his novel nearly 20 years later.

‘The idea stuck with me and the turning point came when I thought about an added element — what if it wasn’t just a random baby that was taken? What if someone had faked a pregnancy and intended to steal a baby …and they had chosen the baby they wanted to steal,’ he previously told The West Australian.

While the novel was set in the United Kingdom, the television adaptation was set in suburban Sydney — a change the author encouraged.

‘When I was approached, I was asked if it was a deal-breaker to me, but it didn’t really cross my mind. It is a universal story. The TV series has done an astonishing job and Jess and Laura have done an amazing job playing two women from two different sides of the economic equation … one with a nice husband and a nice house in an expensive neighbourhood, the other, who is living in much poorer circumstances, just trying to get by.’

The Secrets She Keeps is streaming on Channel 4.

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