Fern Britton’s lover admits stalking the TV presenter at her home in Cornwall

A stalker followed TV presenter Fern Britton to her home in Cornwall during an almost two-year campaign of harassment. James Haviland initiated his follow-up campaign by sending flowers to the 66-year-old star in November 2021.

He then began making 200-mile journeys from his home to stay in the village where she lives in north Cornwall. As the harassment escalated, Haviland booked a stay at a cottage owned and rented by Britton in the area.

Haviland, 63, appeared via video link at Bodmin Crown Court last week. He pleaded guilty to one count of stalking without fear, alarm or distress.

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The charge stated that “between 20/11/2021 and 16/9/2023, at Wadebridge, Cornwall, engaged in conduct which amounted to stalking Fern Britton and which you knew or should have known amounted to harassment of her. According to the indictment, Haviland sent the presenter and author unwanted flowers and a card in November 2021 and June 2023, and attempted to send more flowers in June 2022.

He stayed in the same village as former This Morning presenter Britton in February, May and November 2022. Furthermore, Haviland made a reservation to stay in her rented cottage – which was not named in court – in June 2023 and stayed there for a week. in September 2023.

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After leaving the cottage in September, he tried to book it again for another stay in November 2023. Prosecutor Samantha Rogers told magistrates that the person being pursued was “Fern Britton, a TV personality”.

She elaborated: “For an extended period, he sent flowers, stayed in a certain village, moved closer to where she lives, and stayed in a cottage that she owns.”

Britton, who was married to Phil Vickery from Cornwall, moved from Buckinghamshire to Cornwall in 2020 and credited the tourist hotspot with helping her heal after the death of her parents. She often posts pictures on social media that capture her idyllic life in the South.

Defense barrister Edward Stott said Haviland, of Chineham, Basingstoke, is due to be sentenced next month at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court following the preparation of a probation report. He was released on bail.

The court indicated that his sentence could involve a substantial community order.

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Haviland, bespectacled and dressed in a loose open-neck shirt with a sweater, sat next to his lawyer when he admitted the charge and pleaded guilty.

Britton’s first marriage to Clive ended in 2000, the same year she married celebrity chef Vickery, their marriage ended in 2020.

She decided to rebuild her life in Cornwall aged 53 after the pair split after more than 20 years together. Vickery kept her home in Buckinghamshire and Britton moved to Cornwall, having previously admitted that she couldn’t even bear to unpack and face the memories stored in the boxes.

A year after her move, Britton discussed starting a new chapter in her life, saying, “I’m not afraid of change… The last three years have been really hard. I lost my parents, I lost my marriage. I lost my other house. and in Buckinghamshire, because Phil lives there now and I’m in Cornwall.

“But the magic I found here is incredible. I made some wonderful girlfriends, that was a wonderful surprise.”

The couple first met when she hosted Ready Steady Cook in 1999 and married the following year, having daughter Winnie in 2001. They also appeared regularly on ITV’s This Morning, which Britton ran it for a decade from 1999, and Vickery joined as chef in 2006. , with Britton stepping down in 2009, while Vickery still makes occasional appearances.