‘I’m not scared any more – I like a challenge!’

New business, new show, new outlook – it’s all change for Fern Britton

As far as recoveries go, it’s fair to say Fern Britton’s has been nothing short of miraculous. The author and TV presenter has thrown herself back into life, living each moment to its fullest since being struck down with sepsis two years ago, which was almost fatal.

Now she’s set to have her busiest year yet – working on her eighth novel, starring in a new Gary Barlow-penned stage production of Calendar Girls, and on the brink of reinventing herself as a businesswoman, as she unveils her new venture – The Original Cornish Beach Robe Co.

Fern, 61, lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband Phil Vickery, 57, and their daughter Winnie, 17. Fern also has twin sons, Harry and Jack, and a daughter, Grace.

MY NEXT ACT!

Things come to me, I don’t go looking for them. I’m the laziest woman on the planet and that’s why I keep doing stuff because actually I am so lazy. My favourite thing is sitting wasting time and, left to my own devices, I’m sure I could sleep for 24 hours a day.

I haven’t been on stage for 30 years but will be back in Calendar Girls later this year. Life throws things at you that make you think, ‘Shall I turn right here instead of going straight ahead? Shall I find out what that is?’ The producers of Calendar Girls rang me just before Christmas and I thought, ‘Gosh, I don’t think I want to do a nine-month tour, although it’s lovely to be thought of, they’re mad. Who would want to cast me?’ I said no. Then I got an email saying Gary Barlow wanted to have coffee with me – what are you supposed to do? Of course, flattered, I said, ‘Okay,’ and, before I knew it, I had a script in my hand and was doing a read through.

I might have stage fright when the show opens but I’ll have to wait and see. All these years I’ve been doing television and I often think I must be looking scared, but in reality, people think I look calm. So, if people think I look calm, then I can do it. But I doubt learning lines and lyrics will come naturally to me.

I do like a challenge. I’m not scared any more. As I get older, I realise there’s so much life beyond big birthdays if you just take a deep breath and jump. There’s a song in Calendar Girls The Musical called Dare, and it’s all about that – take a leap, take a jump, don’t look down, go for it, close the exits. It’s very interesting.

I think you find yourself again in later life. When you are 18 and leave school you have that wonderful summer – the last one you’re ever going to have without any responsibilities. Then you get into your 20s, you’re working hard, and in your 30s you’re building up your career. In your 40s you’ve probably got family connections, responsibilities, mortgages and parents’ evenings. In your 50s you’re sandwiched between teenagers and your older parents. Then 60s is like, ‘Well, I’m still here, the kids don’t need me, I have got empty nest syndrome and I don’t like it, so I’ve just got to go out and find who I was three decades ago and pick up those strands.’

I’ve met a lot of the real Calendar Girls over the years, and I met the husband who took all the photos of them – he was lovely. They had the outrageous idea of taking naked photos and creating a

calendar, and making it beautiful, witty, and celebrating these women – and only wanted to raise money for a sofa. They’ve now raised over £5m for Bloodwise – a charity dedicated to researching blood cancers. The tour will raise money, too, buckets will be rattled at the door afterwards!

I’m the antagonist of the story. I’m the chairwoman of the WI who doesn’t want them to do it and thinks they are ruining every acceptable principle. So I’m very angry about it and try to stop them. But, of course, at the end when it all goes rather well, I quite like the reflected glory. As for nakedness, there might be a shoulder shown! In real life, I’d be right behind this, so to play an antagonist is interesting.

I like going to bed with a teddy! My old teddy is so old now, he can’t make it, so my boys have lent me each of their bears for the tour so I won’t get too homesick. And I’m miserable if I don’t have proper hot tea in the mornings, so I’ve bought two really nice mugs, a teapot and a tea cosy to take around the hotels. I’m fully prepped.

When I’m on tour, I’ll miss Phil. I’ll miss them all. I’ll especially miss the cats! Family-wise, the kids are doing fine. The boys are working and have very nice partners, and my daughter is doing so well at university. The little one has just got her A Levels to do and I wasn’t sure if I should be away during such an important time, but she went, ‘For God’s sake, stuff us! Go!’ When

I’m away on tour, she’ll be taking her driving test. I’m away so long, she could have a baby and I wouldn’t even know!

‘I’M A LADY WHO LAUNCHES!’

I came up with the idea for my new beach robes thanks to my love of holidaying in the British Isles, particularly Cornwall. Wherever you are on the British coast, you go for a swim, come out and you’re freezing on that long walk back up to your towel. I thought, ‘Surely there’s something you can put on as soon as you come out of the sea.’ So my daughter and I started to go down in our dressing gowns and we got some peculiar looks.

I was lying in bed thinking about it for two years and one day I thought, ‘Sod it, I’m just going to do it.’ The little seagull face on my logo was drawn by my daughter’s friend who’s very artistic, and she knocked it up in 10 minutes. A dad of one of the boys’ school friends built the website for me, where you can order the beach rob es( original cornish beach robe. co.uk). My older daughter will be head of packing and posting over her summer holidays from university – so it’s a small operation. I’ve made big collars that are tall enough to cover your ears, a big deep wrap, so it doesn’t fall open, a belt that’s stitched to the back, so it doesn’t fall off, and longer sleeves to keep your hands warm – but you can roll them up if you’re lighting the barbecue. I’ve done an initial run of 90 just to test the water. All the robes are in my house at the moment, as I don’t have a warehouse. I’m seeing how it goes this summer, and if it goes well, I’ll do it again. If it doesn’t, at least I had a go. It’s my dream to see people coming out of the sea in them. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

They’re in three colours, and unisex sizes, and come in a beach bag made by a co-operative of Indian ladies, who are learning about commerce and earning a proper wage.

The bags are coming in on a ship, so the footprint’s not bad, plus they’re made from recycled cotton. I do have common sense but I can’t say I’m a businesswoman. I ran it past Phil, who’s good at that kind of thing and he went, ‘Yeah, okay.’ And, if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter. If I see one person wearing one, I’ll be happy. That’s it. If you want to set up a business, you’ve got to test the water. You have to talk to people. Talk to your accountant and they will help. Set up a business account. Go for it, but make sure it’s money you can afford to lose.

CREATIVE INSPIRATION

Writing a book doesn’t get any easier. It’s like childbirth – you’ve just got to

do it. There’s no backing out. I’ll be writing the next book on tour, at least three mornings a week. It’s a good distraction. I can be anywhere, close my eyes and Cornwall’s there, with me. I can see the faces of my characters clearly. I deliberately write really short chapters because I get into bed at night and read a book, but if it’s more than 10 pages I’m done. If I’m reading a book and realise it’s 56 pages to the next chapter, that’s no good. So I keep mine short.

The subjects I write about are happening all the time in families, friendships and with colleagues. Difficult relationships, friendships, hurting each other, keeping back secrets, lies – we’re coping with this all the time, so that’s what I write. I hope it looks familiar to people.

I will stop writing, one day. When nobody wants to read my books, or when I just can’t do it any more. That’s basically it!

MATES FOR LIFE

I love my cycle buddies – met through doing charity bike rides. I’ve known them for 10 or 12 years. We aren’t athletes, but we can cover 100km a day. It’s wonderful to have found a group of friends so late in life. We’re scattered around the country but when the call goes out, we’re there.

Recently, 12 of us packed into our house in Cornwall – I was on a camp bed for five nights and they were all sharing beds and bathrooms. We got on our bikes and cycled, shopped, drank coffee, had a drink and laughed. Of course, once you sit down and have a couple of gins you all start crying. There would be people crying in the kitchen or in front of the TV and it was absolutely wonderful.

To wish me luck for Calendar Girls, they had their husbands take photos of them naked. They had different things covering them up – one with a saxophone, one with shells over her breasts. It was wonderful. I’m not given to taking my clothes off, but when they gave them to me, what they’d done was so brilliant I stood in the garden and took my clothes off!

SPREADING THE WORD

I’m hoping to cycle from Land’s End to John O’groats to raise money for the Sepsis Trust. The illness is becoming a buzz now, getting the message out loud and clear. Anne Diamond did good work with Back To Sleep about cot death and put it in our consciousness. I hope we can have a similar effect and put the message out there about sepsis.

As for my own health, I’m feeling a lot better. I’m not as tired, and I don’t have aches any more, but it has taken a long time for me to recover. The last batch of aches I got was about four weeks ago and, touch wood, they haven’t come back since. I’m much better.

FUTURE PLANS

Once all the children are settled, I’m longing to move to Cornwall. I’d like to be there by the time I’m 65. My daughter says she’s going to have a granny annex and she’ll look after me when I get older – I said I’ll be fine in a care home as long as I have a room with carpet, books and doors that open out into the fresh air. Even if it was just a balcony, that would be fine. Tickets for Calendar Girls The Musical are available at calendargirlsthemusical.com