Ferne McCann

‘I’m very happy with my new man’ EXCLUSIVE

Ferne McCann on finding love again, inspiring her daughter Sunday and navigating life as a single mum

Reality star Ferne McCann has been busier than ever over the past few months. Not only is she juggling being a single mum to her two-year-old daughter Sunday with a blossoming new romance (more on that later!), but she is also shooting her hit TV show Ferne McCann: First Time Mum. When we last chatted to the former TOWIE star back in December, she revealed there was a new man in her life. But the mum-of-one – whose ex Arthur Collins is serving 20 years in prison for a nightclub acid attack – insisted it was “early days”. So when we sit down for a catch-up with Ferne, 29, at London’s swanky Charlotte Street Hotel, we’re itching to find out how things are going with her mystery fella, if she’s ready to reveal his identity to the world and – on a rather different note – why she wants women to do their pelvic floor exercises…

Hi Ferne! Last time we spoke you mentioned you were seeing someone. How’s that going? It’s going really good. It’ll be on the show, so you’ll have to tune into the next season of First Time Mum. Rest assured, we will! So would you say you’re in love? [Laughs] I think you

can probably see – I have the biggest smile on my face. Is it true that your mystery man is City trader Albie Gibbs? You’ll have to wait to find out! But I’m very happy. I love love. How is Sunday doing? She’s so good – she’s such a happy little soul. We call her Miss Sunday. She’s got so much independence and she knows what she wants. It’s very Sunday tunnel vision. It’s her way or the highway. Has she hit any new milestones? She’s saying more and more words and stringing sentences together. Recently she went, “Mummy, it’s very early,” because she must’ve heard me say it once when it was 5 o’clock in the morning, and I said, “It’s very early, Sunday, go back to sleep.” She says it every morning now. She’s like, “Mummy, it’s very early,” and I’m like, “It is, Sunday, isn’t it?” Bless! Does she have similar personality traits to you? Naturally she picks up things that I do, but I like to go with the flow, whereas if she has an idea in her head she just wants it. I love the fact I’ve had a daughter. I’m inspired by strong, formidable women and that’s exactly how I want to raise her. I want her to feel like there’s no dream too big and the possibilities and opportunities are endless. You’ve got to work hard and go for it. Do you ever feel mum guilt when you have to leave her? God, yeah! I don’t think mum guilt is ever going to leave you. Not so much with work because nursery was the best decision I’ve ever made, but I get mum guilt sometimes if I’m away for a few nights or when I’m enjoying myself. I have a little moment and I’m like, “Aaah! Should I be having so much fun?” Do you love that you’ll have all the footage of Sunday from First Time Mum to show her when she’s older? It’s amazing having that. It’s kind of like your very own home footage, but done professionally. I can’t wait to show her. It’s pretty cool to have a show about us and the highs and the lows from a single parent’s perspective. It’s important. How long do you think First Time Mum will continue? Let’s say when I go on to have more children, are Ferne is good friends with Danielle

Sunday’s vocabulary is increasing every day

She wants Sunday to love the great outdoors

we going to continue to call the show First Time Mum?! It’ll be First Time Nan when Sunday has a baby! We’ll see what happens. I’ve been recommissioned for two more series for this year, so I’m excited. You recently moved into a new home. How are you settling in? I love it. It’s going to be a big feature on the show. I’m so happy there. It’s just so peaceful and gorgeous. There’s an amazing field with wild deer. I’m into my wildlife and nature now and I’ve recently got into bird watching, which is so random. I was a real outdoorsy kid and I want Sunday to be like that too. Are you excited about your friend Danielle Armstrong joining the mum club? I’m so excited that she’s having a little girl. She’s joining the pink club. Have you given her any advice to help prepare her for motherhood? I don’t like giving advice unless someone asks for it, but Danielle is going to be an amazing mum. She’s so good with children and she’s such a happy, positive girl. She and Tom are going to be such good parents, so she doesn’t need advice from me. And Lydia Bright and Lucy Mecklenburgh are both set to give birth. Have you spoken to either of them? I haven’t seen either of them recently. Lydia was at the NTAs and she looked amazing. I loved doing red carpets when I was pregnant as you could display the bump. I’ve spoken to her here

and there. They’re both going to make great mums. You’ve opened up about your incontinence struggles since becoming a mum… It definitely feels like a taboo subject and something people associate with the elderly. I wince at the word incontinence – it’s something I literally couldn’t come to terms with because I very much felt, when I was having bladder leaks, like I was in my prime. I thought it was such a negative thing and I felt really embarrassed. But if I hadn’t opened up about it, I would never have worked with Always Discreet on something I feel so passionate about. What advice would you give to women who are suffering like you? You need to do your pelvic floor exercises – work that muscle! I’ve read DMs from women and I feel really proud to have helped. So many women suffer in silence and don’t open up about it or they feel too embarrassed to see their GP. If we can have more of a spotlight on women’s health, then that’s 100 per cent something I want to be behind, especially as I’ve experienced it first hand.

HAMAIZ IQBAL

Ferne has partnered with Always Discreet to encourage women to do pelvic floor exercises as part of their daily routine to put the squeeze on bladder leaks