Fearne Cotton 'loved every minute' of writing her fiction novel

Fearne Cotton has been on a "steep learning curve" as a writer.

The 42-year-old TV star has written a fiction novel called 'Scripted' and although she's loved the challenge, Fearne admitted that it hasn't always been easy.

The presenter - whose novel centres on a character called Jade Shaw - told FAULT Magazine: "I wasn’t necessarily fixated on writing a novel; I was in a good groove writing non-fiction then, one day I was out running on the same route Jade takes at the beginning of the book. I was looking around at all the trash and this weird thought popped into my head: what if I found a script of my life on the floor? I don’t know why exactly, but it wouldn’t leave me alone.

"Later that day, I told my writer friend Claire about the idea. I mentioned I thought it might be a novel, but I had no idea how to even start. She said, 'Just start writing it tomorrow.'

"So, the next day, true to my non-procrastinating nature, I opened my laptop and began writing. It was a secret project for a long time, until I had around 40,000 words written.

"I thought I’d better get some feedback, just in case it was terrible! She loved the idea and encouraged me to keep going. I finished the book and then focused on finding a publisher.

"It was a steep learning curve, but I absolutely loved every minute of it."

Fearne worked on the project for two years in total, and despite the challenges she's faced, she's actually enjoyed the experience.

She said: "The editing process probably took about a year, but I wouldn’t trade the experience. From that initial run to holding the finished book in my hands, it took about two years."