Fearne Cotton previously spoke of how a ‘rough patch’ with her husband Jesse Wood left them desperately ‘clinging onto their marriage’ in an unearthed interview.

On Friday night, the presenter shocked fans by announcing she had split from Jesse after 10 years of being wed.

She took to her Instagram stories to issue the statement and tell fans their priority is their children.

The couple are parents to son Rex, 11, and eight-year-old daughter Honey, while Fearne is also step-mum to Jesse’s children Arthur, 21, and Lola, 18, from his first marriage.

Fearne wrote: ‘It is with a heavy heart that I let you all know that Jesse and I are ending our marriage. Our priority has been and always will be our children. We please ask that you respect the privacy of our family at this time.’

But it appears the cracks were beginning to show in 2019, when the presenter lifted the lid on how their marriage was ‘suffering’.

She admitted her marriage had got more difficult due to Jesse’s packed schedule which led the pair to have a screaming row in the park.

The presenter candidly told readers in her column for Red Magazine: ‘Love takes hard work – and no one wants to hear that’.

She continued: ‘This year, Jesse and I hit a rough patch – he was away, touring relentlessly, [with his band, Reef].

‘I was trying to keep my own career going while looking after our kids and we were both desperately clinging on to our marriage.’

The couple’s problems eventually came to a head with a two-hour ‘screaming match’ where they worried their ‘love had gone’.

After the lengthy row, which took place in a local park, the pair broke down crying but the former Top Of The Pops host credited her husband’s emotional side for them being so honest with each other.

She added: ‘In the midst of this gargantuan row, I think we both wondered where the love had gone and worried that it might not come back.’

The news of the split comes just three days after Jesse’s band Reef announced they would be going on tour again in 2025 for their 30th anniversary.

They will be touring the country beginning in Nottingham on October 16 and ending on November 8 in London.

Also in 2019, during an appearance on Lorraine, Fearne confessed that despite people thinking her relationship is ‘perfect’, she and her musician husband have in fact have had a fair few bumps along the way. 

Speaking about the low times in her marriage, the broadcaster revealed: ‘I adore and love more than anything. But of course we have arguments.

‘People think because I live in the public eye, we have a perfect life. But I have two kids, and two step-kids, so it’s a busy life. Of course, there’s going to be arguments.’

Fearne’s shock split announcement comes just after the Happy Place podcaster had surgery to remove two tumours on her jawline.

Jesse, who is the son of Rolling Stone rocker Ronnie Wood and model Krissy Findlay, is yet to speak out on their split.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Fearne and Jesse for comment.

Fearne tied the knot with the musician, 48, in 2014 in an intimate London ceremony, attended by the likes of Denise Van Outen, Holly Willoughby, McBusted and Keith Lemon.

Ahead of the surgery last week, the presenter gave no indication her marriage lay in tatters.

She said: ‘Hey gang I’m going to be out of action for a bit due to a surgery. I felt a lump under my ear on my jawline a while ago now but this year noticed it was growing.

‘Turns out it’s a benign tumour and another small one above it on the saliva gland. I’m feeling positive about it all and will take the opportunity to rest and slow right down.

‘If you feel a lump or bump or feel like something is a bit off, always go get it checked. I’m so glad I did as the longer you leave these things the more complicated things become.

‘It’s obviously so weird that only a couple of months ago Davina told me about her tumour and then weeks later I was calling her having discovered mine. I’m not only lucky she’s a bloody good mate but also a beacon of light and positivity when it comes to this stuff.

‘Sending you all loads of love and I’ll see you soon.’

She later issued an update: ‘Operation went really well. Recovering and resting. Thanks so much for all the kind messages.’

In July, Fearne marked their 10 year wedding anniversary on Instagram by re-wearing her wedding dress.

Fearne explained they had been inspired by Victoria and David Beckham, who marked their own wedding anniversary by slipping into their iconic purple outfits from the reception. 

The presenter poked fun at the viral snap and wrote: ‘If its good enough for the Beckhams.

‘It’s our wedding anniversary too. 10 years today. And we are back in our wedding outfits (not purple) and @jessejameswood can’t locate the shoes’.

She also shared many more snippets from their nuptials to her Stories, including a photo of her and Jesse kissing on the dancefloor.

She captioned the snap: ‘Happy 10 years @jessejameswood. Wish we could do it all over again.’

Fearne and Jesse began dating in 2011 after meeting while partying in Ibiza, the year that the guitarist split from his first wife Tilly Wood following eight years of marriage.

According to Fearne their first date consisted of a meal of vodka and cigarettes, and said they ‘did not eat a thing’.

However, their lifestyles have changed since and Jesse is now sober, while the pair turned vegan together in 2021.