Showing off her growing baby bump last week, Ferne McCann confirmed she’s expecting her second child with fiancé Lorri Haines – gushing, “bursting at the seams with happiness.”
Opening up for the first time about her pregnancy, Ferne, 32 – who shares four-year-old daughter Sunday with her disgraced ex, Arthur Collins – looked glowing as she posed alongside dad-of-one, Lorri, 31, for a glossy shoot.
“We are so happy,” she confessed. “It wasn’t planned, but it wasn’t not planned.”
Referring to Lorri’s son Noah from a previous relationship, she added, “For us both being parents, they’re little miracles and it was such a positive moment and something for us to look forward to.”
As well as announcing her happy news, the former TOWIE star also broke her silence on the scandal surrounding a series of leaked voice notes which threatened to end her career last November.
In one of a series of shocking messages released on an anonymous Instagram account last year, a voice which sounded remarkably like Ferne’s, was heard branding her former childhood friend and BFF, Sam Faiers, 32, a “fat c**t” and a "narcissistic b***h”.
The messages were thought to have been recorded in June – just a month after Sam had given birth to her third child, Edward.
Not only did the leak sever her life-long friendship with Sam and her sister, Billie, 33, Ferne was branded a “body shamer” as furious fans called for the reality star to be dropped from her ITVBe show, First Time Mum.
Now a source says, “While it appears Ferne has managed to brush off the drama with her latest pregnancy reveal, the reality behind the scenes is very different.
“The first few months of her pregnancy were ruined by stressful talks with police and all the backlash she received, as well as the panic of trying to cling onto her career as her reputation fell to tatters.
“The police investigation is digging up all sorts of information she never wants made public and she’s living in constant anxiety about what will be leaked next.
“She’s been warned about going too hard to try to prove her innocence as there’s every chance it could backfire, but Ferne insists she has no choice and fears if she doesn’t, she could lose everything she’s worked so hard for.”
In more shocking audio messages, the same voice believed to be Ferne was heard branding one of her ex, Arthur’s acid attack victims a “silly b***h”.
Breaking her silence on the scandal last week, she revealed “it will be addressed” in the new upcoming series of her reality show, which has been chronicling her life as a single mum since giving birth to Sunday in 2017, shortly after Arthur was jailed for 20 years for committing an acid attack in a packed-out nightclub.
Until now, Ferne has remained silent – neither confirming nor denying she was the voice in the messages – and insists police are continuing to investigate the leak.
The star – who is being backed by her ITV bosses – continued, “There’s not a lot I can say, which is so frustrating.
“I am definitely someone who has always worn their heart on their sleeve and been transparent with anyone I meet, especially my followers and the people who watch my show.
“The frustration comes from just not being able to be fully transparent and I cannot wait to share my full truth and the full story, but, unfortunately, I can’t because there is the criminal investigation and for that reason I can’t go into detail.
“What I will say is we just want to look forward as a family.”
Just months earlier, Ferne’s relationship with Lorri was thrust into the spotlight after a video of the Dubai-based businessman sniffing from bags of suspicious white powder surfaced online.
In a public apology, the father-of-one said he was not taking drugs but joking about. He insisted he’s “spent years” turning his life around after making “stupid mistakes”.
The bombshell came after the star spent the last five years trying to distance herself from the scandal around the father of her child, Arthur, as she relaunched herself as an empowered single mum.
But despite trying to bury the latest voice note scandal and push forward with her new image of the perfect blended family as she prepares to welcome baby number two, the reality star is petrified the past will come back to haunt her with the unsolved drama.
The source adds, “Ferne’s trying to do everything in her power right now to put on a big smile in the hope everyone will forget about the scandal and focus on her news, but deep down, she’s terrified of what the future holds.
“She knows there’s only so much she can gloss over, and however hard she tries, this could all implode on her, but she’s doing her best to focus on her growing family.
“Her first pregnancy was tarnished by scandal and she’s determined to ensure that whatever happens, she won’t let history repeat itself.”