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SHE'S EVERY ROCK STAR'S PIN-UP, BUT FEARNE COTTON HAS SAID GOODBYE TO HELLRAISERS AND PREFERS EARLY NIGHTS TO WILD ONES

By Louise Gannon

Photography by Jonathan Keane

She slips into the unforgiving silver catsuit with confidence and gets excited about the Ziggy Stardust lightning-flash across her face.

But while Fearne Cotton may look like the classic rock chick as she pays homage to her heroes David Bowie and Marc Bolan, she’s anything but.

Click here to see more pics of Fearne

Yes, she’s dated her fair share of bad boys and yes, her eyeliner and trademark vintage Ts scream “I’m with the band”.

But she confesses that she’s more likely to be found cleaning her kitchen than cleaning out the minibar.

“People think I’m a party animal, but I’m not,” says Fearne, 26.

“I’ve been working since I was about 15.

"I don’t really drink, I don’t take drugs, and I’m always going home early.

“I’ve got this thing in me that’s obsessed with being outrageous and insane.

"But I’ve never let myself go there because my obsessively disciplined side won’t let it happen!

"To balance myself out, I always used to go for a bad boy.

"I wanted to be with someone wild who did all the things I never allowed myself to do, the sort of person my parents couldn’t stand.

“Ultimately, I couldn’t handle it, but in my teens and early 20s, I was always attracted to them.

"Thank God that’s out of my system now.”

Indeed. She’s been happily settled with American-born photographic assistant and model Jesse Jenkins, 22, for two years now.

“It feels like a grown-up relationship,” she says.

It also marks the end of her attraction to wild boys.

Her exes include rock stars Ian Watkins (Lostprophets) and Fame Academy contestant Peter Brame, whose insatiable cocaine addiction wrecked their relationship.

She also dated Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard.

Oh, and Robbie Williams famously asked her out on air during Live 8 (“Very embarrassing,” she says, “nothing happened afterwards.”)

Career-wise Fearne has never been hotter, riding high as the latest Brit girl to join the American TV invasion by hosting The Guinness World Record Top 100 Live and then bagging a dream gig hosting the X Factor of the comedy world, Last Comic Standing.

“I went out to the States to do one show and got a call about the reality comedy show.

"The presenter had dropped out.

"I had one meeting and got the job!

"All I kept thinking was: ‘But I don’t have any clean knickers!’

"So I ran straight out of that meeting and into Victoria’s Secrets for packs of new pants.”

So is Fearne about to uproot and chase the big bucks stateside? “Never!” she yells.

“I’d miss my mates, my mum and dad. I’m a Brit girl. I love country hikes and seaside towns – I could never leave.”

One of her closest pals is Davina McCall, 40, who’s given her blessing to Fearne’s relationship with Jesse.

“When I was single, Davina was constantly trying to set me up with people.

"She’d invite me out to dinner with a guy and during the meal she’d be pushing our chairs together.

"She can’t bear people to be on their own,” Fearne explains.

“She’s met Jesse and she loves him.

"My family love him too, which is important to me.

"It’s an easy relationship.

"Both of us spend time away because he has family in America and I’m working away a lot.

“We’re both quite romantic.

"I did a painting of him which he loves, and I bought him a ring with a Morrissey lyric engraved on it.

"He makes amazing meals and listens to me talking non-stop.

"I’m a high-maintenance girlfriend because I have a problem chilling.”

Does the fact that she’s one of the country’s top TV presenters (as well as Eurovision, The Brits, Children In Need and Top Of The Pops, she has also interviewed Prince William and Prince Harry) and he’s a struggling photographer cause tension in their relationship?

“I don’t think like that. Lots of women earn more than their partners,” she says.

“I couldn’t care less. It’s more about being happy and passionate about what you do.”

Fearne also loves chocolate, which she calls her “favourite thing in life”.

So how does she stay so skinny?

“I do yoga and I work out.

"I trained as a dancer so I have to exercise or I don’t feel comfortable, but there’s no way I’ll ever be a super-skinny size zero freak.

"It’s horrible – and life’s too short not to eat chocolate.”

Fearne is on Radio 1, Saturdays and Sundays, from 4pm. Last Comic Standing is on Paramount Comedy, Saturday, 7.30pm.

 

Additional photography: Retna, Rex, Matrix. Styling: Tracey Lea Sayer

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