FERNE McCANN is flying the flag for single mums everywhere by bringing home the bacon as well as bringing up three-year-old daughter Sunday.
The ex-Towie star is thriving on her own and in the The Sun’s annual Fabulous Magazine Reality Rich List out today, ranks 13th after doubling her estimated fortune to £5.5million.
The riches are thanks to her ITVBe show Ferne McCann: First Time Mum, a string of brand deals and her own fitness app Embodyment. Ferne, 31, is chuffed with her Rich List ranking and reveals: “That’s made my week. I love to work.
“I’ve been that girl on a Friday night going into London, dressed up to the nines, trying to meet a banker, and I’ve dated footballers. But I will never stop working or rely on a man to fund me and give me what I want.
“It’s important I teach my daughter that if you want some-thing, you can absolutely achieve it if you work hard enough. I’ve had guys who could have given me an easy, comfortable life but it doesn’t excite me.
“I want to work for myself and provide for my daughter. I take great comfort and can sleep happily at night knowing I can look after us both. It’s rewarding knowing that I’ve made that happen for us.
“I love it when single mums tell me I’ve inspired them. It’s so touching and humbling, the best thing about what I do.
“There’s not a day goes by that I’m not immensely grateful.”
Ferne’s motherhood journey has been tumultuous. She found herself pregnant in 2017 and facing life as a single mum after her then boyfriend, Arthur Collins, went on the run following an acid attack in a London nightclub that left 22 people injured.
He was later convicted of GBH with intent, as well as ABH, and jailed for 20 years. Ferne ended the relationship as soon as she found out about the attack, and feared what the future held for her and her baby.
Collins is strictly off limits in the interview, but Ferne has a survivor mentality. She says: “The reality TV world is so saturated now, especially with Love Island, so you’ve got to be super-unique and have something special to make it. TV isn’t all I do, I’ve got many strings to my bow.
“But there is a misconception with reality TV stars that we don’t really work. It’s a daily hustle. There is never a day when I am not working or trying to explore new opportunities. Hard work pays off. I’m proud to be on the reality rich list.”
Ferne has not been afraid to take risks and has thrown herself into TV projects that come her way. A Towie regular from 2013 to 2016, she finished third on I’m A Celebrity in 2015 and has also appeared on Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity Best Home Cook — as well as her First Time Mum show about her and other single mothers’ experiences.
She says: “I’m very aware things come and go. There is going to be a time in your life when opportunities aren’t as readily available, so I’ve tried to make the best of everything. I’ve always said yes, I’ve worked for free and I’ve networked, because you don’t know where it’s going to lead.”
There is never a day when I am not working or trying to explore new opportunities. Hard work pays off. I’m proud to be on the reality rich list.
Ferne McCann
Ferne had a comfortable upbringing in Brentwood, Essex. Her dad was a commodities trader and her mum a sports therapist. They instilled a strong work ethic in their daughter, encouraging her at 14 to get a part-time job in a hair salon.
She recalls: “I worked washing hair. It wasn’t just about earning my own money, it was character-building. It’s the people you speak to and meet. Doing that job for four years shaped the person I was. I liked chatting to the clients and I’m now excellent at small talk and so interested in people. I respected the older hairdressers and thought they were so cool.
“My parents always encouraged me to work. We definitely didn’t struggle, but my dad wanted me to make my mark on the world. Eventually I want Sunday to get a Saturday job too — ha, ha!” Ferne is single after splitting up with live-in boyfriend Jack Padgett in June but she is now feeling positive about the future and healthier than ever after embarking on a booze detox.
She says: “Right now I haven’t been out with my girls, let alone out on a date. I wanted to do an eight-week alcohol detox so haven’t had a sip. I’ve been focusing on being healthy and I’m enjoying the change of season and getting ready for Christmas. I’ve surrendered my love life, I’m not putting pressure on it as I know what I want.
“I used to want someone for me, but whoever gets with me next, whoever the lucky man is, will be to make a family. There is no more dating for me. Sunday and I are a package, we come as one, I want a family. I’m not putting pressure on it, good things take time. It’s really important that the next guy who enters our life is the right one. I’m not going on a string of dates.”
She adds with a giggle: “Hopefully by this time next year I’ll have a ring on my finger.” Asked if she wants more children, Ferne does not hesitate.
She says: “Definitely. Sunday is my best mate and settling into school. I would love her to have siblings, she is my blessing.”
Ferne hopes First Time Mum continues to run and run. It started as a one-off in 2017, to follow the birth of Sunday after ex Arthur was caged.
But she has now wrapped her seventh series and is proud she is one of the mums featured. She says: “This series seven was the first where I got an eight-parter, so that was exciting. It’s a show that’s really close to my heart, it’s very real. The fans seem to love it and always want more.”
Ferne is promoting toy brand L.O.L. Surprise!’s Live UK tour. She says: “I’m excited to go to events with Sunday. She’s independent and a real girly girl. I really enjoy her company.
“Watching her grow is special. She’s turned from a toddler into a little girl and it’s always been me and Sunday. We have a lot of fun. We spend all our time together and laugh at the same thing. She’s my little bestie.”
