Fern Britton reveals health struggles with arthritis and sepsis amid Celebrity Big Brother rumours

TV presenter Fern Britton has spoken openly about her recent health problems - as she is rumoured to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house.

The 66-year-old, who formerly presented Ready, Steady, Cook and ITV's This Morning alongside Phillip Schofield, is heavily linked with being one of the housemates on the reality TV show, which begins tonight (4 March). Other rumoured celebrities include the likes of Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne.

But the TV star has been through a fair bit of health trouble recently, with both arthritis and sepsis to contend with.

Towards the end of last year, Britton underwent major surgery on her shoulder as a result of her chronic arthritis. In the build-up to her operation at St Michael's Hospital in Cornwall, she had been in "constant pain".

Posting on Instagram after her operation, she said: "Shoulder replacement done and a success. I can't thank the staff enough. Such care and kindness.

"I'm very lucky. If you're in a similar situation, I send my love."

Following her surgery, the presenter used a walking stick for a short time. But this wasn't the first time Britton had been forced to contend with a serious health condition - in 2016, the TV presenter almost died from sepsis.

In an interview with the Mirror at the time, she said: "I started to have immense pain. So much so that my daughter called 999 and I’ll be honest - I genuinely knew I was dying.

"All I could think about was my four children and my husband. It was frightening. By the time the doctors discovered the sceptic abscesses, I was in a bad way."