TV presenter and podcaster Fearne Cotton and husband Jesse Wood announced their split today, but the couple has been followed by rumours of marital strife for years
TV presenter Fearne Cotton, 43, shocked fans by announcing her split from husband Jesse Wood, 48, – the son of Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood – earlier today.
The former BBC Radio 1 presenter shared normal posts on her Instagram Stories over the past day, followed by the sudden news that she was headed for divorce. In a short text post, she wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that I let you all know that Jesse and I are ending our marriage. Our priority has been, and will always be, our children. We please ask that you respect the privacy of our family at this time.”
While Fearne candidly shared the major news with her followers, she and Jesse have frequently suffered from fan speculation that they could be on the outs, with Fearne herself revealing some of the struggles of their marriage to Jesse, who is the son of Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood.
Back in 2019, the former CBBC star opened up about going through tough times in her romance in a tell-all article, but clapped back against rumours it meant an end. “I wrote that article to go ‘what a load of s**t.’ Every marriage takes work. It doesn’t dilute our love or make our marriage any weaker, it actually makes it stronger because we’re willing to have those conversations,” she shared in response to the rumours at the time.
Slightly before, in January 2019, she also described how she and Jesse were “desperately clinging” to their marriage after they found themselves in a shouting match in a park, according to the Daily Mail. When fans raised concerns, Fearne branded worries about her marriage “absolute bulls**t.”
In part of a statement in response to the rumours, Fearne wrote: ‘I’m happy to share the good and bad bits of myself because, of course, I’m not living this perfect, fairytale life.” The same situation repeated itself the same year, when Fearne revealed that she and Jesse often slept in separate beds.
The TV star explained that it was only the case because she had sleeping difficulties, and shared a photo of herself and Jesse sharing a kiss. Alongside the intimate photo, she again reiterated: “My marriage IS NOT on the rocks. Here is a photo of me being very in love with my husband.”
While Fearne and Jesse were plagued by speculation about their marriage years before announcing their split, they kicked off their relationship with a whirlwind romance. The exes first met in 2011, when Fearne was visiting Ibiza with her girl pals – but soon found Jesse and immediately bonded with him.
Fearne shared more details about their meet cute on Instagram, posting a photo of herself and Jesse swapping numbers. “My mate @amandabyram who I was on a girls holiday with, took a sneaky photo 8 years ago to the day of me and @jessejameswood swapping numbers on a night out in Ibiza,” she penned wrote alongside the candid snap.
She added: “Who would have thought it would lead to two kids and marriage! A game changing, very drunken night out that I’m forever grateful for. Happy ‘when we met’ anniversary Jesse.” Just over a year after meeting Jesse, Fearne announced the happy news that they were expecting her first child, and the couple welcomed baby Rex in February 2013 to join Jesse’s teen kids Lola and Arthur.
After almost two years of dating, Jesse popped the question and the couple tied the knot in July 2014 in London, surrounded by a host of celebrity guests including Holly Willoughby and Keith Lemon. In September 2015 the couple expanded their family again, with Fearne announcing the birth of a daughter, Holly.
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