Fern Britton gets her first tattoos at 53 as she enjoys 'a disgraceful middle age'

By Liz Thomas


Growing old disgracefully: Fern Britton has had her first tattoos done - after being inspired by Felicity Kendal


For many of us, a tattoo is something associated with the folly of youth.

But Fern Britton is 'enjoying a disgraceful middle age' and has just got her first at 53.

The TV presenter confessed she has two butterflies permanently inked on the base of her tummy.


She revealed she was inspired after reading that 64-year-old Felicity Kendal had a tattoo of a star on her foot and was planning more.

'At Christmas I got a tattoo of two butterflies on my tummy. It is Felicity Kendal's fault. I read about hers and thought, “Why not?”,' she said.


'Some of my friends have them and I'd been talking about getting one for ages.

'Then [my daughter] Winnie found some stick-on tattoos and applied one to my tummy. [My husband] Phil agreed that it looked good, so in my head that was a green light.'

Iffy: Fern Britton and husband Phil Vickery, who she says has yet to get used to her new body art


Miss Britton admitted husband Phil Vickery was still 'iffy' about it, but her children – she has 17-year-old twin sons and a 14-year-old daughter from her first marriage, and ten-year-old daughter Winnie from her second – thought it looked 'cool'.

The star said it was a painful process but she was happy she had done it – and was increasingly doing more things that she wanted.

She also revealed she had IVF to get pregnant with her twins and during the process donated some of her own eggs.

'Of course I think about what happened to those. I will never know until maybe that person is 18 and comes to find me,' Miss Britton told the current issue of Woman and Home magazine.

'It's a funny feeling all these years later.

'At the time, you're so grateful you're pregnant that you want to give someone else the chance.

'Would I feel that child was mine? I've no idea. I certainly would want to be a friend to that person and their family, though.'

The veteran broadcaster has said that turning 50 was the catalyst for taking charge of her life.

She added: 'At this chapter of my life, I have the pleasure of being “self-ist”, as a friend of mine calls it.

'[I am] self-ist enough to do what I need without feeling guilty.

'I'm enjoying a disgraceful middle age, though without Phil I would not be as I am today.'


source:dailymail