Monday, 27 October 2008

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Fern Britton reveals rape nightmare

Presenter opens up about sex attack

Fern Britton presents This Morning with Phillip Schofield

Fern Britton has revealed she was subjected to a horrifying sexual attack at the age of 21.

In her new autobiography Fern: My Life, she relives the night a 'grateful' stranger forced himself on her.

Fern found the man's missing dogs and he invited her to dinner. Then he turned up at her Cambridge flat with 2 bottles of champagne.

'I pointed him in the direction of the lounge and went into the kitchen,' Fern recalls. 'When I got back he was on the floor doing press-ups, wearing nothing but orange Y-fronts.

‘My first thought was that it was a joke, but within seconds my “Ha! Ha!” turned into “Oh, God”.'

The sportsman pushed her against the wall, then down on to the floor - before hauling her to the bedroom.

‘I was absolutely terrified and thought: "I'm done for - what do I do?"'

Fern, now 51, decided to 'stay limp' and get it over with as soon as possible. But the ordeal lasted all night and though her assailant slept, she was too scared to run for help.

In the morning, he got dressed and left.

The TV presenter, who is married to chef Phil Vickery, 47, decided not to let the incident haunt her forever.

‘It is too late to dwell on it,' she writes. 'I blotted it out and got on with my life.’

SEE PHOTOS Fern Britton’s amazing weight-loss transformation>>>

Holly Arnold