Celebrity Big Brother viewers devastated as they watch Fern Britton break down in tears: 'I just wanna hug her'

Celebrity Big Brother viewers were left feeling sorry for Fern Britton as she broke down in tears during Thursday’s episode.

The presenter, 66, took a moment to herself in the diary room but became tearful when discussing the younger members of the house.

Fans showed their love for Fern on social media platform X, with one penning: ‘I just wanna hug her’

Another said: ‘Bless Fern getting emotional. Who couldn’t love her? She’s so warm, friendly and a mother figure in there!’

It comes after Fern admitted she will walk out of Celebrity Big Brother if her former This Morning colleague Phillip Schofield joins the show last minute.

Celebrity Big Brother viewers were left feeling sorry for Fern Britton as she broke down in tears during Thursday’s episode

The presenter became a household name hosting the ITV Daytime show alongside Philip, 61, from 1999 to 2009, when she was replaced by Holly Willoughby, 43.

And chatting with fellow housemate Gary Goldsmith during Wednesday night’s episode, Fern was adamant that she wouldn’t want to be in the same house as Phillip.

Gary said: ‘It was rumoured that he was going to come in here.’

Fern added: ‘Oh well, that didn’t happen. Yet! Maybe he’s coming in as a surprise.’

Gary said: ‘Can you imagine?’

‘Well, yeah. I might have to leave at that point!’, she laughed.

The TV personality also declared the new This Morning hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard , who are replacing Phillip and Holly Willoughby on the show, will do a ‘great job’ at presenting.

Gary asked: ‘What do you think about the situation with This Morning at the moment?’

The presenter, 66, took a moment to herself in the diary room but became tearful when discussing the younger members of the house

Fans showed their love for Fern on social media platform X, with one penning: ‘I just wanna hug her’

Fern has admitted she will walk out of Celebrity Big Brother if her former This Morning colleague Phillip Schofield, 61, joins the show last minute

The presenter became a household name hosting the ITV Daytime show alongside Philip from 1999 to 2009, when she was replaced by Holly Willoughby, 43 (pictured in 2005)

Fern said: ‘Genuinely I haven’t been there for 15 years. 15 years, can you believe that! I got off the train and it’s way over the horizon now, so I honestly don’t know.

‘I can’t say anything because anything I would say would be subversion. It was tricky at times, like an institution. It’s weirdly a programme like that [the royal family]. It rocks but then gets back together again.

‘And I think Ben and Cat are going to do a really good job, it’s a new era.’

‘I think it’s lost its personality by having a range of different hosts’, Gary said as Fern nodded.

Celebrity Big Brother airs at 9pm on ITV2