When Billie Faiers welcomed her third baby earlier this month – a little girl called Margot – Instagram was flooded with congratulatory messages from family, friends and her former TOWIE co-stars. But while others are over the moon, insiders say it has been a sad time for Ferne McCann, following the fallout with Billie and her younger sister Sam.
And a source says that Ferne – who wrote a simple "congratulations" on Billie's post – has reached out to her former BFF via text.
"Billie's baby news was bittersweet for Ferne. She was so happy to find out she'd welcomed a baby girl, but she also feels sad that she won't be around to meet her, or be there for Billie likes she was when she had her other babies. They've barely been in contact since the scandal broke and it's been heartbreaking – but she did reach out to her personally via text to say congratulations when Margot was born. There's an olive branch out there now," the source says.
In September, Ferne, 32, became embroiled in a voice note scandal when recordings, allegedly of her voice, were leaked with her seemingly calling Sam a "fat c***", as well as insulting her ex Arthur Collins' acid attack victim Sophie Hall; Ferne later released a statement claiming they were "manipulated" voice notes "taken out of context".
Prior to the scandal, First Time Mum star Ferne was hands-on with Billie during her previous newborn phases with Nelly, now nine, and Arthur, five. The former best friends enjoyed a Christmas getaway just last year to the Maldives, where Ferne's daughter Sunday, five, spent time with Nelly and Arthur. And, as Ferne looks ahead to the future, if she has children with fiancé Lorri Haines, it will be a hard pill to swallow as Billie and her husband Greg won't be there to share the experience.
An insider says, "Ferne knows that if she ends up having a child with Lorri, they won't be growing up with Billie's new baby. Ferne is upset about the thought of not experiencing these times with Billie and their kids not having playdates together as they grow up. They shared so much when becoming young mothers the first time around, and Billie's recent birth brought back all those memories. She did reach out through mutual friends but hasn't heard anything back and she's not sure if she ever will.
"There's so much happening. in their lives right now, and normally she and Billie would be telling each other every little detail. She's curious about Billie's new home and wishes she could just turn back time so they could have a catch-up and a good cry together over all this time they've spent apart."
Ferne has been attempting to move on with her life and recently shared a glimpse into a "life-changing" trip to India with her 2.9m Instagram followers and is filming for the next series of First Time Mum. Though this in itself sparked another scandal as many people were shocked that ITV would recommission it after the voice notes saga. One online commentator said, "ITV should ashamed" and others called Ferne a "bully" who didn't deserve another season.
Insiders say that while keeping busy has been a coping mechanism for Ferne, it hasn't prevented bouts of sadness.
A source reveals to Closer, "Ferne's recent trip to India was really eye-opening and it did her a world of good turning off her phone, living in the moment, and taking time to immerse herself in another culture and realise what's really important.
"She's doing her best to carry on with her life and get stuck into filming her reality show. But this massive milestone that she's missed out on has really hit home, and it's made her incredibly sad. She hopes that 2023 can be a fresh start and things will only get better as they all try to move on from it."
