Jo Whiley has said she’s sorry to Fearne Cotton for not being there for her when Fearne was dealing with mental health issues while working at BBC Radio 1.
Fearne Cotton, 44, has spoken about the incredibly difficult time she went through when her ex-boyfriend, Ian Watkins, was convicted of multiple child sex offenses in 2013. She previously described feeling intense shame and pain following the conviction.
She remembered feeling incredibly uncomfortable at Radio 1 earlier this week, saying she felt like her colleagues were constantly watching and dismissing her.
Fearne hosted a show on the radio station for a year starting in 2008, then went on to present her own weekday program for six years until 2015. She rejoined Radio 2 in 2016, but left after five years due to struggles with panic attacks.
Jo recently shared on her podcast, Dig It, that she regrets not being a better support to Fearne when she was hosting the Radio One show, explaining she didn’t fully understand the challenges Fearne was facing at the time.
Looking back, not realizing what you were going through was the hardest part. I was focused on my own life and didn’t understand how much you were struggling.
She went on to say that she was worried about you being criticized – either for being involved in the show itself, or because she had previously hosted a show on Radio 1.
It feels like a reflection of how things are changing. We used to be very self-focused and closed off, but now I think people are much more understanding and compassionate towards each other.
Fearne responded, saying there was no need to apologize. She explained that there hadn’t been a chance to discuss it, and she was also dealing with other difficult personal issues at the time.
You know, it felt like there wasn’t room for a little honesty, even on the radio. I always believed in connecting with people, acknowledging those ‘off’ days, and then using music to lift everyone’s spirits. It was rare to hear anyone simply say, ‘Hey, I’m not feeling great, let’s try to turn things around with some good tunes.’ I really missed that genuine connection.
It felt like we were expected to just keep going, with no consideration for our feelings. So, there’s absolutely no need to apologize.
Fearne has previously shared that she experienced depression and deep sadness following the conviction of her ex-boyfriend, Ian Watkins, for numerous child sex offenses. She felt intense shame during this difficult time.
The podcast host briefly dated the lead singer of Lostprophets in the early 2000s, before he was exposed for terrible crimes.
Last October, 48-year-old Charles Watkins died in prison while serving a 29-year sentence for several sex crimes.
Fearne hasn’t spoken publicly about her relationship with him, but she’s hinted at feeling ashamed and being bothered by online harassment related to it. Sources have told the Mail that she still feels deeply embarrassed and upset whenever his name comes up.
In her recently released book, Likeable, the former radio host alluded to the difficult period she experienced after a man who sexually abused children confessed to thirteen offenses.
She doesn’t mention Watkins by name, but remembers a time when she learned about a terrible news story – one that didn’t directly involve her at first, but would unexpectedly and significantly impact her life, and she would have to report it on her own radio show that same day.
As a lifestyle commentator, I remember when the news broke about Watkins’ arrest in 2012. He was later convicted and sentenced in 2013, all while Fearne Cotton was a familiar voice hosting the mid-morning show on BBC Radio 1. It was a really interesting time, seeing how everything unfolded alongside such a popular broadcast.
Fearne Cotton revealed in an interview with The Mirror that she struggled with overwhelming shame and nausea while continuing to work on air, making it harder and harder to broadcast.
She wrote that she feels like everyone is both watching her and completely ignoring her at work. She wonders if her colleagues are gossiping about her, or if she’s simply being self-centered by assuming they are.
Honestly, hearing her talk about it just broke my heart. She said she basically had to stuff everything down – all the anger, the pain, the sadness, even the tears – just to keep functioning. It was like she was carrying this immense weight, and she admitted it felt like a really dark, heavy depression. It’s just… I can’t even imagine how hard that must have been for her.
She explained that therapy helped her overcome the shame she once felt, realizing it wasn’t her responsibility to bear, but rather stemmed from the actions of others, primarily men.
The mother explained that she was referring to men who had hurt her, mistreated her, and then left her to deal with the consequences on her own.
In October, Watkins died at HMP Wakefield after suffering a stab wound to the neck. Police have charged two men, ages 25 and 43, with his murder, and their trial is scheduled for May.
Soon after hearing the news, Fearne shared a post on Instagram about feeling ashamed and admitted she’d been having trouble sleeping.
In her latest video, she shared four key takeaways from the week. First, she mentioned a conversation with Charlie Mackesy on the Happy Place podcast, where they discussed shame – a topic she found particularly insightful.
I realized from that experience that a lot of people struggle with shame, but we often think we’re alone in feeling it. That’s actually how shame works – it makes you believe you’re the only one.
She shared four things she learned this week in her post. She admitted she hasn’t been sleeping well and feels a little scattered, but is trying to learn from recent experiences.
In 2013, Watkins received a 29-year prison sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing a child and attempting to rape an 11-month-old baby.
In addition to his 29-year sentence, he was found guilty of 11 more crimes at Cardiff Crown Court, and these penalties will be served concurrently.
The singer committed horrific crimes, including attempting to sexually assault a fan’s daughter and urging another person to harm their own child during an online video conversation.
Investigators discovered the convicted sex offender was extremely familiar with technology, and had amassed a horrifying collection of child abuse material totaling 27 terabytes of data.
The collection was far larger than the data storage used by South Wales Police, and it held five times more information than the force’s system, which supported 2,862 officers and 1,631 staff members at the time.
A terabyte of storage can hold a significant amount of video – about 472 hours of professional-quality footage, or around 150 hours of high-definition video.
When investigators couldn’t open the encrypted files on his computer, they asked specialists from GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence agency, to help break the password.
Watkins initially insisted he hadn’t done anything wrong, but then unexpectedly changed his plea to guilty just before the final moment.
The defense explained that his crack cocaine and crystal meth use caused him to have no memory of the extensive abuse he committed.
In 1997, he co-founded the band Lostprophets in Pontypridd, Wales, and recorded five albums with them. He was later revealed to be a paedophile.
The band from Wales announced their split just a month before Watkins was sentenced. They stated they had no knowledge of Watkins’s crimes.
Following the exposure of the band member’s terrible crimes, HMV stopped selling their music, and the Rhondda Cynon Taf council took out paving stones that featured the band’s song lyrics.
In 2015, Fearne departed Radio 1 after announcing she fell pregnant with her second child.
She rejoined BBC Radio 2 in 2016, but left again in 2021 to prioritize her well-being. Currently, she hosts ‘Sounds of the 90s’ on BBC Radio 2, which broadcasts on Saturday nights from 10pm to midnight.
She shared on The Shift podcast that when she began returning to work, she unexpectedly started experiencing panic attacks.
I’ve often wondered if this change happened because I was recovering from depression and finally realizing things as they are. It felt like a sudden and difficult shift.
I experienced frequent and intense panic attacks in my early thirties. Things like riding in a car going too fast, or being on live television or radio, would consistently trigger them.
I kept going for a while, filling in for Zoe Ball on the radio for about a year. But eventually, I started struggling badly with anxiety. I was okay on the air, but at night, I couldn’t sleep and was having panic attacks that lasted for hours – it was a really awful time.
I hadn’t been sleeping for days, so I explained to BBC Radio 2 that I wasn’t in the right headspace to continue doing live broadcasts. As a result, I had to step down from a job I really enjoyed.
Read More
- CookieRun: Kingdom 5th Anniversary Finale update brings Episode 15, Sugar Swan Cookie, mini-game, Legendary costumes, and more
- Robots That React: Teaching Machines to Hear and Act
- PUBG Mobile collaborates with Apollo Automobil to bring its Hypercars this March 2026
- Call the Midwife season 16 is confirmed – but what happens next, after that end-of-an-era finale?
- Taimanin Squad coupon codes and how to use them (March 2026)
- Heeseung is leaving Enhypen to go solo. K-pop group will continue with six members
- Alan Ritchson’s ‘War Machine’ Netflix Thriller Breaks Military Action Norms
- Robots Learn by Example: Building Skills from Human Feedback
- Genshin Impact Version 6.5 Leaks: List of Upcoming banners, Maps, Endgame updates and more
- Gold Rate Forecast
2026-03-13 14:52