Exclusive: Fern Britton unveils her secret motivation for keeping fit and healthy

It’s not gone unnoticed that Fern Britton has undergone a radical transformation in the past two and a half years, after overhauling her diet and exercise regime.

And in an exclusive interview with woman&home, the television host and novelist has opened up about the secret inspiration for maintaining the positive lifestyle changes - her four children, Winnie, 23, Grace, 27, and twin boys Harry and Jack, 31.

Fern, 67, keeps in shape by eating "three sensible meals a day" and doing regular exercise - a combination of walking, running, exercise classes and weights workouts, which she has documented recently on Instagram.

She explains, “At times, I get more tired than I used to or when I’m working in the garden, I think, ‘That’s heavy. I used to be able to lift that.’

"It’s my duty to stay as healthy as I can for the sake of my children. I don’t want them to feel guilty about not seeing me or worried about me if I'm not well, or me being a drip on the phone. It’s very important that I can show them I’m living my own life well."

And confirming that her weight loss is thanks to sustainable lifestyle changes rather than drastic measures, Fern added: “People often wonder when you lose lots of weight whether you’ve done it naturally. And I can look at you and say, ‘Yes I have’."

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Fern, who relocated to Cornwall five years ago following the end of her 20-year marriage to TV chef Phil Vickery, discussed her healthy lifestyle with woman&home ahead of the release of her brand new novel A Cornish Legacy - her 11th.

During the interview, she also admitted to rarely watching This Morning, the ITV daytime show she co-hosted for a decade until 2009, experiencing bouts of loneliness and her list of life’s biggest bugbears.

Read Fern’s full exclusive interview with woman&home in the July issue of the magazine, on shelves from 29th May.