Fearne Cotton left fans stunned on Friday (December 13) when she announced “with a heavy heart” that she had split from husband Jesse Wood.

Before their split, the presenter frequently gave fans a glimpse into their life together, including the events of their first date.

In 2021, the 43-year-old recalled inviting Ronnie Wood’s son Jesse to her home for their first date in an attempt to avoid media scrutiny.

Contrary to what many might expect, Fearne admitted their evening was not spent getting to know each other over dinner, but rather vodka and cigarettes.

“We definitely haven’t eaten,” she admitted on the Table Manners podcast. “For our first date, I was a little nervous because it was a time in my late 20s where, for some reason, people were interested in who I was dating, and it was really horrible. “

My husband has now been sober for eight years, and he will talk about it publicly, but he wasn’t sober when we met,” she said. “So he came to my house with a plastic bag containing a bottle. of vodka, we drank it and ate nothing. »

After meeting, the couple made their relationship official and announced their engagement in 2013. They married a year later at the registry office in Richmond, southwest London, with the Rolling Stones legend among the crowd. many guests present.

Fearne and Jesse, 48, are proud parents to Rex, 11, and daughter Honey, eight.

Additionally, Fearne plays stepmother to Jesse’s children from a previous marriage; Arthur, 21 years old, and Lola, 18 years old.

In the same podcast episode, the TV host revealed how “chaotic” life within their family unit had turned during lockdown.

Speaking about the challenges of homeschooling her children, she revealed: “It’s impossible, it’s unrealistic. It’s really unrealistic to do (homeschooling) and trying to work and I’m a bit of a neat freak, so if everything is really chaotic in the house, I really panic.”

“So I try to keep everything beautiful, useless. I try to guide them in life and in work, and it’s so unrealistic, it’s crazy.”

The BBC Radio 2 presenter took to her Instagram Story on Friday to share the news of their split with her followers.

She wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that I let you know that Jesse and I are ending our marriage. Our priority has and always will be our children. We ask that you respect the privacy of our family at this time. times.”