This Morning chef Phil Vickery shared a mysterious message on his Instagram Stories – though it’s not known what it’s in reference to

Fern Britton’s ex-husband Phil Vickery has shared a mysterious message about “messing things up” on social media.

The This Morning chef often keeps his personal life private on Instagram, purely sharing photos of his culinary delights and food concotions – most recently his simple charcuterie platter with oysters on ice and a glass of chilled wine. “Simple but lovely lunch .. no hassle, no drama, just peace and quiet !! #happydays,” he wrote.

But in a recent Instagram Story, Phil shared a thought-provoking quote which read: “A lot of people mess up something good by looking for something better, to end up with something worse.”

It comes not long after ex-wife Fern, 66, was a finalist on ITV’s first Celebrity Big Brother series, finishing after Dave Potts, Louis Walsh, Nikita Kuzmin and Colson Smith. Fern and Phil, who is 62, were married for twenty years before they split in 2020. They wed after Fern, who used to present This Morning, ended her first marriage to Clive Jones. The pair first met on the BBC Two show Ready Steady Cook and they have a daughter together called Winnie.

Phil’s cryptic Instagram story post
(Image: No credit)

Fern and Phil met on Ready Steady Cook (Image: No credit)

Fans were surprised when the couple suddenly said they were splitting up four years ago. But it was later found out that they had been growing apart for a long time, reports the Daily Star.

In a chat with Good Morning Britain in 2020, Fern talked about their break up. She said: “My mum died and my father died and unfortunately Phil and I fell apart,” according to OK!

Her dad died in December 2019 and her mum in April 2018. Fern has talked about her split from Phil in an interview with Woman and Home magazine. She said that even though they’ve gone their separate ways, they’re still good friends.

Fern Britton’s ex-husband, Phil Vickery, has shared a cryptic message about ‘messing up’
(Image: No credit)

“We simply needed to follow our own paths,” she explained. “Over time we realised we weren’t necessarily having the kind of life we once did. It seemed right to say ‘thank you’ and move on. But we do have a good friendship. Phil and I had the greatest fun together and we have the most beautiful daughter together, Winnie… so we will always be connected.”

Fern added: “Life has changed for me in the last 10 years, especially with my career. So it’s lovely to think I can just concentrate on writing, the kids and getting on with life. This feels quite comfortable, and Phil and I knew it was the right thing to do.”

She also admitted she isn’t ready to tie the knot again yet, but she’s open to finding love in the future. “I don’t want anything much at all – just somebody who’s there,” she confessed. “That would be lovely.”