She became the BBC's youngest ever national news presenter when she joined Breakfast Time at just 26 years old.

But despite her impressive career trajectory, Fern Britton has revealed she was bullied by a male colleague during the 1980s, which she didn't realise until 'years later'.

The broadcaster and author, 66, who went on to host ITV's This Morning for a decade, said it wasn't until she listened to a radio report about bullying in the workplace she realised that it had happened to her.

'A long, long time ago, back in the '80s, I was on a programme where a man bullied me and I didn't even realise until a few years later,' she told Bella magazine.

'I was listening to the radio and they were talking about bullying at work. When I listened to it, I suddenly started crying and thought, "That happened to me".' 

Fern started her career at ITV's regional Westward Television in Plymouth and moved to BBC's Spotlight in 1981, before joining Breakfast Time in 1983.

She then moved to TVS in Southampton in 1985 on which she presented Coast to Coast alongside Fred Dinenage, remaining there until the ITV franchise holder ceased operating in 1992.

'There's a lot of stuff that I have learned from and that has made me toughen up a bit,' she said.

'It hasn't all been a breeze, but I don't regret it – apart from the fact that I could have done more if I'd really put my mind to it.'

Fern became a guest presenter on This Morning in 1993 and was promoted to a main host in 2002 alongside John Leslie and then Phillip Schofield.

She left in 2009, following a rumoured falling out with Phillip, and went on to become a successful novelist, appearing occasionally on television – most recently on this year's Celebrity Big Brother.

Despite her sterling CV, Fern said she regrets not being more 'ambitious' in her career, with jobs coming her way out of 'pure luck' rather than her own tenacity.

'I regret that in lots of ways I didn't pay attention to my career because I'm not particularly ambitious,' she said.

'Lots of things came my way out of pure luck, I'm full of imposter syndrome anyway and so I was having these terrific experiences and loving them all, until things got difficult.'

Fern said she has been 'careless' at points in her career and has been too 'gung-ho', resulting in driving her 'life into a cul-de-sac'.

She said: 'See, that's where I've been careless. I don't look – I wait for it to land and go, "Yeah, I'll have a go".

'I'm too gung-ho and I've often driven my life into a cul-de-sac – and I thought, 2OK, let's get out of there then".'

She said her career has been 'slower' in the last few years but she's been 'very, very lucky' and is now 'just sitting in the shade reading a book and having a nice time in life.'

She added: 'This is the thing about not being careful, ambitious or protective enough of myself because I hate having smoke blown up my arse and I'm not good at simpering around bosses.

'After 44 years, I realise that I should have done more of those things. I think bosses didn't quite connect with me because I was never a diva.'

Fern said her priority was always going 'home to being with the kids' after being on air and she never 'followed the instruction book for female presenters.'

She added: 'Don't hold me up as any kind of example because I've made loads of mistakes.'