ESSEX GIRL
From Towie influencer to Dancing On Ice skater, we look at Ferne McCann’s reality TV success
The news came in the same week that she quit her own reality show after seven years since it began
FERNE McCann has announced she'll be quitting her own reality series, to take on a new challenge.
The reality TV star will appear on Dancing On Ice 2025, but fans of Ferne will no longer see her on ITV's First Time Mum after she revealed the heart breaking reason why she quit.
Who is Ferne McCann?
Ferne Alice McCann was born on August 6, 1990, in Brentwood, Essex.
Before getting her spot on The Only Way Is Essex, Ferne was a hairstylist and colourist for six years.
Ferne had her first brush with stardom when she finished in the top 15 in Miss England in 2012.
However, it wasn't until the following year that she became a household name after her debut on the ninth series of Towie, but she left the show in 2016.
In 2022, she was forced to step out the spotlight after leaked audio heard her criticising the victims of her acid attacker ex, Arthur Collins.
Ferne apologised for her comments, which she said were “manipulated, edited and taken entirely out of context."
ITV backed her at the time and continued to screen her First Time Mum series.
In 2024, Ferne quit her First Time Mum reality TV show after seven years.
Opening up about why she came to the decision, Ferne told GMB that her six-year-old daughter had asked her if she “was famous”, and this troubled her.
“I know it sounds really contradictory, because we’ve had the reality show, and it’s all Sunday’s ever known, it’s actually…. normal for her to film the show, and it really just stopped me in my tracks, and it made feel really uncomfortable.”
Ferne added that she made “the decision to be famous”, but her child didn't and thought it best to take a break so she “does not have to come home from school and film”.
Ferne McCann confirms Dancing On Ice appearance after QUITTING her reality show
In 2025, Ferne will be back on ITV but this time she'll appear on their primetime skating show, alongside 11 other star contestants.
A source said: “It’s been a rough few years for Ferne but she has always been an ITV star, with her roots on Towie and then with her first steps into the mainstream on I’m A Celebrity in 2015.
"So Dancing On Ice will be a chance for her to knuckle down, work hard and win over the public."
The source added: “But her casting will raise eyebrows given her background.”
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How many children does Ferne McCann have?
Ferne announced on November 2, 2017, that she had given birth to a little girl.
The reality star revealed on Instagram she had welcomed her daughter into the world a week ahead of her due date.
She shared a picture of the sleeping tot - with her head cropped out of the shot - on Instagram and, alongside a string of heart emojis, wrote: "Welcome to the world my darling.
"Didn’t expect to see you a week early. I’m so in love & bursting with pride. It’s a girl [sic]".
Her daughter, named Sunday, is the child of acid attack convict Collins.
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Ferne revealed on March 6, 2023, that she was pregnant with her second child.
The baby's father is fiancée Lorri Haynes.
Finty was born on July 6, 2023.
The mum-of-two revealed that her wedding plans have been put on hold.
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Discussing her 2023 show Ferne McCann: My Family & Me, she told Closer: “In this series, it’s a whole new chapter for us – find the time to actually have quality time because we don’t even sleep in the same bed.
"We are so here for it. I don’t even want to sleep in the same bed as him – I think he would irritate me.
"It’s healthy for our relationship because we live together, we run the business, Shoorah, and we’re raising the children. We need our time.”
What else is Ferne McCann known for?
Ferne participated in the 15th series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here, appearing as one of the late arrivals and ultimately finishing in third place — after controversially swallowing a live spider.
In January 2016, she joined ITV's This Morning as a showbiz reporter.
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She also appeared on Channel Five chat show Up Late With Rylan, in the segment McCann or McCann't — in which she attempted to complete a challenge in a short amount of time.
Along with Vicky Pattison, with whom she made friends within the jungle, Ferne also landed her own show on ITVbe following the pair on a road trip around Italy.
In 2016 she made her stage debut as Myrtle Wilson in a London production of The Great Gatsby.
She was also a semi-finalist in Celebrity Best Home Cook 2021.
In 2022, she took part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, where she nearly killed fellow contestant Calum Best.
Both went on to win the show.
What is Ferne McCann's net worth?
According to caknowledge.org, Ferne has an estimated net worth of £3.08million.
She earns her money through her reality TV shows and business ventures.
In March 2023, it was revealed she had put her home up for rent for £5k per month.
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