Ferne McCann says daughter 'watched her own tantrums on Youtube' as she quits reality show
Ferne McCann has been a staple of reality TV for the last 11 years - ever since she first walked on the set of The Only Way is Essex back in 2013. But fast forward to today and the mum of two has announced she's quitting reality TV for good, mainly for the sake of her two daughters, six-year-old Sunday and baby Finty, 15 months.
In an exclusive chat with OK! to celebrate her next chapter, Ferne, who will take part in Dancing on Ice next year, reveals her eldest daughter has never seen their ITV show My Family & Me show, but she has seen her own toddler tantrums on YouTube. It's part of the reason she's so excited for her to see her mum step onto the ice next year. "Sunday is going to come and watch," she says. "It will be the first time in her life that she’ll watch me on TV."
Ferne continued, "She has never watched My Family & Me – I try to protect her. Although, she has watched compilations of herself throwing tantrums on the show on YouTube, she thinks those are hilarious and can’t believe it’s herself!."
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Ferne, now 34, is engaged to fiancé Lorri Haines, the father of her youngest daughter, and she says the decision to quit the ITV show was a family one with their girls' best interests at the heart of it. She says despite knowing it was the right move, she still feels "emotional" when she talks about it, but the evidence that it wasn't the right thing for their family was beginning to stack up.
"This was such a big decision for me but I knew it was the right one," she shares. "Sunday went into Year 2 and my gut, intuition and heart were saying, “'Let’s press pause.' There were times when she’d get in from school and have the pressure of getting out of her uniform and ready for the show, which I didn’t want."
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"But it is sad. It’s like breaking up with someone – the show was one of the longest relationships of my life. It’s been a glorious chapter and I have no regrets. As a mum, you’re always second-guessing yourself, so I have to keep saying, 'Trust yourself.' But I can never imagine my life without cameras. I love making TV."
Ferne's fans won't have to wait long to see her back on screens, as she recently signed up to join the Dancing on Ice celebrity line-up for 2025, along with the likes of Corrie star Sam Aston and The Traitors finalist Mollie Pearce.
"I’m really looking forward to it, but I might get more nervous when rehearsals start. It’s perfect timing because if I didn’t have that, I’d be thinking, “What am I going to do next?” My younger self was always hungry to do shows like Celebrity SAS and I’m A Celebrity and win them, but now I’m older, my priorities have shifted. I don’t have that desperation – I just want to have fun."
