Fearne Cotton has been left “shell shocked” after being photographed kissing her new boyfriend just eleven weeks after her split from Jesse Wood.
The 43-year-old TV presenter and wellness guru was spotted in a public embrace with TV director Elliot Hegarty, 53, on a London street.
Sources close to the situation revealed Cotton hadn’t expected her new romance to be made public so soon.
The photos have reportedly caused tension with the Wood family, including her former father-in-law, Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood.
Hegarty, who directed the Disney+ hit series Rivals, is ten years Cotton’s senior and reportedly split from his wife Laura in December.
According to sources, Jesse Wood had known about Fearne’s relationship with Elliot “for some time” before the photos emerged.
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Laura Hegarty, a 51-year-old mother-of-three, was allegedly “dumped” by her husband on Boxing Day and had no idea about his new relationship until she saw the published photos.
A friend told reporters that the images “added to her heartbreak” and made an already difficult situation more awkward.
Those close to Jesse Wood found the speed at which Fearne has moved on “galling”, according to sources.
“You can imagine how that all went down in the Wood world,” said a source close to the family.
The Woods reportedly “have found her quite irritating for some time” despite once adoring her.
“They had hoped that things could be more amicable when Fearne and Jesse split,” the source added.
Insiders say Cotton would have preferred to “share the happy news on social media herself” when she felt the timing was right.
A friend of the Woods suggested “she hoped she could get away with it for a bit longer so it all looked a little more tasteful.”
The public revelation could potentially damage Cotton’s wellness brand, which has become her main source of income.
Through her award-winning Happy Place podcast and various wellness ventures, Cotton has built a significant following focused on mental health and wellbeing.
The couple stunned fans when they announced their separation in December after 10 years of marriage after meeting in 2011 while Fearne was on holiday in Ibiza and married in 2014 at Richmond Register Office.
They share two children, Rex, 11, and Honey, 9, while Fearne was also stepmother to Jesse’s two adult children from a previous relationship.”
