Fiona Phillips: So glad I've finally got my life back

Phillips' down-to-earth approach meant she was often able to get controversial public figures to open up and in 2007 Heather Mills famously divulged details of her messy divorce from Sir Paul McCartney.

Yet behind the presenter’s sparkling eyes and witty conversation the hectic lifestyle and gruelling 4am starts were taking their toll. Last year she made the brave decision to leave the show that had made her one of Britain’s best-loved TV hosts. It was a big gamble but it has paid off.

“I’ve got my life back now, I’ve got me back,” says Fiona with a sigh of relief. “Being tired all the time does horrible things to you, it makes you so negative. I had a lot going on. My mum was ill and I was her main carer. She was in Wales and after a long week at GMTV I’d bung the kids in the car, drive for miles to see her then be heartbroken when I left because I didn’t want to leave.

“I became ill and contracted shingles. I was so run down and always unwell. Looking back I think I was clinically depressed. Eamonn Holmes used to say to me, ‘I think you’re depressed’ but I would insist I wasn’t. I didn’t want to go out, I didn’t want to do anything but it’s only now that I can see it.”

It’s clear that after a year away from our screens Fiona is healthier and happier than ever and despite reports to the contrary she has no regrets. “I always want to work. There were reports the other day saying I’d made a big U-turn because I was going back to work. I never said I was giving it up, I just said I was giving up 4am starts because it was ruining my life.”

A spart of her new-found freedom Fiona has spent the past year as Specsavers’ ambassador for Vision Aid Overseas. She recently visited Zambia to help promote a campaign to bring eye care to millions of Africans.

“There are no eye care facilities in Zambia unless you have money and even then it’s difficult to get medical treatment. There are no training facilities at all. I went out there to attend a special one-day clinic that offered people free eye tests and treatment and it was so moving. There were all these people with terrible eye problems that are perfectly treatable. One little boy, Kennedy, really stuck in my mind. He was five and gorgeous but the pupil in one of his eyes was completely white because he had cataracts. His mum hadn’t been able to get it seen to but that day at the clinic she and Kennedy were told it could be treated and they were so, so happy. Another man cried on my shoulder because he was almost blind but was told his sight could be improved and one lady was overjoyed because she was given some simple reading glasses. She was so delighted she took me outside to dance.”

Now aged 48 Fiona is looking forward to starting a TV job in the new year. “In January I start filming a new series called Forces Reunited. We will be covering stories about the amazing things servicemen and women do. I’ll have to have the tissues ready.”

It’s not just career freedom that has led to a happier Fiona. The stress of her daily TV appearances used to make her snappy with her husband, GMTV editor Martin Frizell and she longed for quality family time with her sons Nathaniel, 10 and Mackenzie, seven, prompting her to say women really can’t “have it all”.

“Taking the boys to school in the morning has been great. I think that’s so important, it sets them up for the day. I always used to think it was unnatural that I didn’t take my own children to school. I still don’t think you can have it all,though. You end up doing everything – childcare, cleaning, cooking plus holding down a career as well. Eventually something’s got to give.”

When it comes to her relationship with Martin, Fiona believes having a sense of humour is vital in getting the couple through their hectic life together. “Long-term relationships get hard, especially with kids, but they’re worth it. We have a fiery relationship and I think that keeps things fresh. We had a major argument a few days ago over something silly that was said but after we’d calmed down we both started laughing because we realised it was stupid.”

Fiona’s warmth and openness were clearly key to her popularity on the GMTV sofa. However, there’s more to her than simply being a witty blonde.

S he’s passionate about political issues and keen to get involved with Britain’s youth because, she says: “Kids from bad backgrounds are unfairly branded as no good in this country.”

At the moment though, one of her biggest pleasures is sleeping. “I’m still relishing every drop of sleep. I don’t miss those early starts. However, what I do miss big time about GMTV is the make-up.

“I used to feel as if I was being mugged having that whole make-up experience so early in the morning but I ended up looking okay and I could really do with that help now.”