Getting to 60 has at last made me feel like a real grown-up
time and I had two really young children to look after. I had to make the decision.”
Fiona is not so proud of her Strictly Come Dancing stint in 2005 – and this year described the axing of dance partner New Zealander Brendan Cole as “karma”.
Fiona said: “I should never have done it. Even as a teenager I hated getting on the dance floor.
“It’s funny but for someone who has spent a lot of time in broadcasting, I’ve always been quite shy and have low self-esteem.
“I felt so self-conscious, but I thought, ‘I will have a professional dancer and it’s a nice programme’. But Brendan is a rough old taskmaster and really wanted to be number one or nothing. I just wasn’t very good.
“I became a comedy type figure. I’m not glad I did it, but it was an experience.”
Fiona loved Good Morning days with Eamonn. Right: Mel enjoyed funny kilt mix-up
Despite her huge success, Fiona has a selfdeprecating nature which she believes comes from her parents, Amy and Phil.
She said: “With my mum, showing off was a cardinal sin – only something that cocky children did – and I think that kept me grounded. My parents worked hard but didn’t have airs or graces.”
And while most people would be delighted to meet the Queen, Fiona was left slightly embarrassed when she came face-to-face with Her Majesty at the Royal Variety
Show in 2003.
She said: “I’m not a royalist and thought, ‘I’m not going to bow to her’, but there’s this funny picture of us where I’m bent over like a question mark, all snivelling.”
While Fiona is naturally pretty, she has always resisted holding back the years with botox – but now says “never say never”.
“I’ve always said I’ll never have it, but now I’m getting older I think, er, maybe. Sometimes I look at someone and think they look good, then later find out they’ve had a little bit of help.”
Despite hitting her 60s, there’s no chance of Fiona disappearing from our screens any time soon. “I guess I should really be thinking about retiring but it’s not part of my lexicon,” she said.
“I like that whole thing of having a reason to get up in the morning.”