‘Sunday is challenging but she's a joy'

Ferne McCann on love, lockdown and toddler tantrums

- ANGELA HAGAN

It’s fair to say that the past12 months have not been the easiest for Ferne McCann. The former TOWIE star, 31, has revealed she suffered from Covid in October last year, then she split from her boyfriend Jack Padgett in June.

But big-hearted Ferne is bouncing back with a brand new series of First Time Mum, which is returning for the seventh season. In this extended series, fans of the show will see her heartache over her most recent break-up, as well as the challenges she faced during the pandemic.

Here, Ferne opens up about battling the virus, why her three-year-old daughter Sunday is her focus right now, and what it was like trying a therapy treatment involving the poisonous secretions of a giant monkey frog…

Hi Ferne! What can we expect from the new series?

I’m so excited – I’ve put so much into it. I genuinely mean this, hands-down, it’s the best one. You’ll be laughing and crying – it’s just jam-packed. And Sunday is so different – challenging, but she’s a joy. She’s always changing and I’m always learning as a parent. She’s at such a fun age. Of course, she’s still got the tantrums.

There are usually only three or four episodes, but this time there are eight…

It was more of a mini-series before. Now there’s more time to tell the narrative and show everything that’s happening in my life.

And that includes your split with Jack in June – that must have been hard…