Fearne Cotton had to leave Radio 1 for the sake of her mental health.
Fearne Cotton in Red magazine (c) Philip Sinden
The 39-year-old star departed the radio station in 2015 after 10 years, and she has now admitted the job was "ruining [her] mind".
She said: "I had to walk away because it was literally ruining my mind.
"A lot of people still believe in this myth that people on TV or social media are these perfect people with perfect lives, and, of course, it’s all a load of b*******."
While Fearne - who turns 40 in September - used to believe that, too, she now thinks fame just creates a barrier between a person and "real life", and she doesn't want that for herself.
She added to Red magazine: "Now I'm at this age where I don't buy into any of it.
"I'm actually actively excited most days to look at how I can unpick that for other people and show the most human side to who I am.
"It doesn't matter what my job is. It doesn't matter how many followers I have.
"Let's just connect on the most human level, because all fame does is create distance between you and real life.
"I don't want to be disconnected from real life. I want to be in the thick of it."
In January, Fearne admitted she previously feared she would never "feel joy again" when she was hit by depression.
The former 'Top of the Pops' presenter - who has kids Rex, eight, and five-year-old Honey with her husband Jesse Wood - said: "[I was] pretty, pretty low. Just bleakness.
"I’m not gonna be able to work, I’m not gonna feel joy again, I’m never gonna have the feeling of just peace without there being panic that something awful is gonna happen.
"And shame! I don’t want to feel shame ever again.
"I’m not sat here complaining. I love my job, this is merely one downside to it that, you know, I can deal with, I have dealt with… But what I want to do is articulate that [fame] equals nothing."
Read the full interview with Fearne Cotton in the September issue of Red - https://www.redonline.co.uk/ - on sale the 5th of August. It is available in all supermarkets and online at MagsDirect.
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