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Born in London, Fearne Cotton, 44, began presenting The Disney Club at 15. She went on to become a Radio 1 DJ, hosting her own show from 2009 to 2015; she currently presents Radio 2’s Sounds of the 90s. In 2017, she started the Happy Place community and now has an award-winning podcast, an annual festival and a publishing imprint. The author of bestselling personal development books, her latest, Likeable, is out next week. She lives in London and has two children with her former husband, Jesse Wood.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Impatience. I’m not very good at waiting around or dealing with things that aren’t moving at a pace that I want them to.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Superiority. I shrink when I’m around people who act superior, whether it’s due to authority or intellect. I almost become mute.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
On radio, I once said “anal” instead of “angel”.
Describe yourself in three words
Eager to learn.
What makes you unhappy?
It is so overwhelming for all of us to have the bombardment of noise, opinions and public argument – not even healthy debate. It stresses me out.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I would have said my nose many years ago, but I’ve learned to embrace it.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
I love a daytime bath more than anything.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Macaulay Culkin, because if you take the hair off his head and my head, we have very similar faces.
What is your most unappealing habit?
Picking the skin around my fingers.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
An air steward, because I loved airports. I wrote a letter to British Airways when I was seven and I’ve got the reply in the loft, which says, “You’re a bit young at seven but do stay in touch.” I was that kind of kid who was eager to start the ball rolling.
What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?
People have said, “I wish you would die.” That’s the stark truth of being in the public eye – people dehumanise you and say ghastly things.
Would you choose fame or anonymity?
There are days when I desperately wish that I wasn’t in the public eye, but there are days when it’s actually a benign element of my life, or one that is quite joyful. People open up and are quite deep from the offset, so I end up having really extraordinary conversations.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
There’s a joke between me and one of my friends that if I ever wrote an autobiography, the title would be I’ll Just Do It Then. That’s something I say quite often when I’m being impatient and the person I want to do the thing isn’t doing it quick enough or how I like.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
I assumed that once I reached some level of achievement, I would feel fixed.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Picking myself back up after very tricky times and trying again.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
The more you face shame and stare it in the eyes and talk about it, the less potent it is.
English (US)