Fern Britton quits This Morning

Fern Britton quits This Morning after 10 years - but why?

Fern Britton has walked out on her £750,000-a-year job on This Morning – amid rumours she was fed up of being in the shadow of Philip Schofield's success.

While Fern has not moved out of her daytime TV comfort zone, Philip has branched out into presenting primetime television – and a rift reportedly grew over differing pay packets.

We find it a little hard to believe, as the pair have become best-known for bursting into uncontrollable fits of giggles on-screen, and seem to have a sizzling chemistry.

ITV and Fern have released a statement saying that she would like to 'spend more time with my family'.

Fern said: 'After ten years with This Morning, I have decided to leave at the end of the current series. I will present my last show on 17 July, my birthday, which seems somehow appropriate.

'The This Morning team are simply the best and I will miss them all very much, but I am looking forward to the freedom of exploring other things I want to do, and also to spending more time with my wonderful family.

'So many thank yous to all our viewers who have shown me so much kindness and loyalty.'

Some tabloids have pointed out that Fern failed to mention her co-star of six years, Philip, with some sources saying there was a falling out over Phil earning £45,000-a-show for their other project, All Star Mr and Mrs, while Fern only received £15,000.

Others said the relationship, on and off-screen, had not recovered from when Fern was forced to admit on-air last year that her 5st weight loss was down to gastric band surgery rather than a diet.

But Philip attempted to quash any rumours of rivalry yesterday by saying: 'We have cried together over stories and we have laughed ourselves breathless, too. From day one we just clicked and I'm really proud of what we have achieved together.'