Ferne McCann has hit back at claims that she has reunited with jailed ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins.
The pair share a daughter, Sunday, who was born at the end of the last year and the former TOWIE star has insisted that that’s the only reason that she is still in contact with her ex.
“Of course we’re not still together. He’s the father of my child, and that’s the end of it,” she told OK! magazine.
Ferne was previously seen taking Sunday to visit Arthur at HMP Full Sutton in York after he asserted his parental rights and it’s thought that the visits take place once a month.
Revealing that she consulted a child psychologist and a lawyer before agreeing to the visits, Ferne said: “Every single decision I make is made with her best interests at heart.
“One day she’ll be old enough to decide what she wants to do for herself, but until then I have to do what I think is best based on the guidance I’ve been given. My only priority is making sure I do the right thing by Sunday.”
Ferne and Arthur started dating in 2016 but split after he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for taking part in an acid attack at an East London nightclub in April 2017.
GALLERY: 11 celebrity women guilty of finding love with lawbreakers
11 celebrity women guilt of finding love with lawbreakers
Ferne McCann and Arthur Collins
Ferne might be one of our TOWIE favourites, but the gorgeous Essex girl has been very unlucky in love. Her relationship with Charlie Sims played out spectacularly while she was on TOWIE, and during her time on Celebs Go Dating she never met anyone who she was interested in.However, just days after publically talking about her plans to marry her now-boyfriend Arthur Collins, the police have issued an appeal to find him in connection to an acid attack at a club in London over the bank holiday weekend.
Gemma Collins and Stephen Mortimer
Gemma and Stephen had an on-and-off relationship. He spent two years in prison for grievous bodily harm, and during Gemma's stint in Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, he was back in prison for allegedly breaching his license terms.When she left the house, she also had to face rumours that he had cheated on her numerous times.
Kerry Katona and George Kay
Kerry and George have had a tumultuous relationship, and although they called it quits in 2015, the couple decided to rekindle their relationship in August 2016.However, during the time of their marriage breakdown George was allegedly detained for assault and unlawful possession of a taser. He also previously served a three-year prison sentence for blackmail.
Mel B and Stephen Belafonte
Earlier this year, Mel B filed for divorce from her husband of ten years, Stephen Belafonte. The couple share 5-year-old daughter, Madison, but in the leaked papers Mel cites irreconcilable differences as grounds for divorce.Since then, it has come to light that Mel made many allegations against the film producer, including that he was reportedly physically and verbally abusive throughout their marriage.
Lauren Goodger and Joey Morrison
Lauren has received a lot of bad press about the men she has dated. When she first appeared on TOWIE, she had been dating Mark Wright for the best part of eight years before they went their separate ways.Lauren then went on to date Jake McLean for four years, but now she is seeing Joey Morrison. He's a friend of a friend who is currently serving time in prison for violent drugs-related charges, and he is expected to be released later this year.
Steph Davis and Jeremy McConnell
Steph and Jeremy had an on-off relationship for the best part of 2016 after meeting in the Celebrity Big Brother house.When Steph announced she was pregnant, Jeremy refused to believe he was the father and throughout the pregnancy she was determined to raise her baby on her own.However, when Caben-Albi was born Jeremy stepped up and appeared to be trying to make up for lost time. The couple reunited, but shortly afterwards reports swirled that Jeremy had been arrested on suspicion of assault.Before the news broke, Steph had shared a picture of her bruised body on Snapchat, prompting fans to believe she may have been the victim. Jeremy denied any wrongdoing and is now in rehab dealing with his demons. Steph has confirmed she'll be there for him when he gets out.
Daniella Westbrook and Tom Richards
Daniella and Tom dated cage fighter Tom Richards, and they even got engaged before the relatinoship broke down in 2015.Following their break-up, Daniella claimed that Tom had violently attacked her although the charges were eventually dropped.
Chantelle Houghton and Alex Reid
Chantelle was engaged to Katie Price's ex, Alex Reid, and the former couple share 4-year-old daughter, Dolly.But just weeks after Chantelle gave birth, cage fighter Alex was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage to the couple's Brentwood home and the pair split shortly after.
Katie Price and Leandro Penna
Katie and Leandro met at an Oscars party in 2011 and started dating soon after, even getting engaged for six months before the relationship ended.Although he appeared to have a squeaky clean image, in 2013 Leandro was accused of assault after a disagreement at a party in London hinting that Katie's ex was more of a bad boy than anyone initially thought.
Amy Childs and Bradley Wright
Amy is expecting her first child with boyfriend, Bradley Wright. He already has a daughter from a previous relationship, but Amy has been with him for two years now.Bradley has previously spent time in prison serving sentences for burglary, handling stolen goods and driving offences.
Cara Kilby and Daniel Harris
Cara Kilby only had a brief stint on TOWIE, but she was a firm favourite with viewers.Her boyfriend, Daniel, was sentenced to two years in prison after being accussed of leading a gang that sold drugs across London. He is due for release in the next few weeks.
At the time of the split, Ferne released a statement announcing her pregnancy.
Her spokesperson said: “Ferne is grateful for the sympathetic way news of her pregnancy has been covered and people's support and obviously her first concern is for her child's health.
"Accordingly she does not wish to discuss the pregnancy further given the early stage it is at and the immense strain that Ferne is currently under. Nor does she wish to discuss her ex-boyfriend who she does not recognise from the events of the last week.
“Ferne is in no way seeking sympathy for her situation and is determined to do all she can to have a happy and heathy child and face the challenges of being a single parent with all her energy. Her thoughts are with the victims of the horrific attack on Easter Monday."
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