Fern Britton has revealed how a routine trip to the doctor left her in floods of tears after finally getting answers to an excruciating health struggle that left her in pain for more than a year.

The beloved TV presenter, who has been a fixture on British screens since the 1980s, opened up in her 2024 book The Older I Get… How I Repowered My Life about the moment a shoulder injury changed everything.

“I opened the bin lid and thrust the bag forward. Instead of feeling satisfied, I felt an immediate searing pain,” Fern recalled. “I knew I’d done something serious. For over a year I was in agony, and it was at a time when you really couldn’t see a doctor.”

When she finally managed to get an appointment, the doctor told her she needed a total shoulder replacement. Fern admitted she burst into tears — not only out of shock, but relief. “I was so relieved he knew I wasn’t making the pain up, I cried. I had to wait a year for the op but it was so worth it. It gave me time to get fit again.”

Last year, Fern underwent the gruelling four-hour operation at St Michael’s Hospital in Cornwall. Sharing a picture in her hospital gown with a cast on her new shoulder, she thanked NHS staff for their care and kindness: “Shoulder replacement done and a success. I can’t thank the staff enough.”

Back home, she joked that her pet Barbara acted as her “doctor,” mainly reminding her when it was time for breakfast, lunch, and supper. Fern also credited her friends and daughters, Grace and Winnie, for supporting her recovery. “I’m very lucky. If you’re in a similar situation, I send you my love,” she said.