I’m proud to be a single mum, it’s the hardest job in the world – but now I want baby number two, says Ferne McCann

AFTER years of unsuccessful relationships and heartbreak, Ferne McCann is finally in a happy place – and it shows.

The reality TV star, 31, went public with her relationship with Dubai-based businessman Lorri Haines in January, after a “whirlwind romance” that began with him sliding into her DMs on Instagram.

And it’s impossible for her to keep the grin off her face as she talks about him.

Impressively, Lorri, 30, has already got the thumbs-up from her daughter Sunday, four.

Asked if she thinks that he might turn out to be The One, Ferne’s reply is unequivocal.

“I know that he is. I know it’s a bold statement after such a whirlwind romance. But when I met him, I was like: ‘When you know, you know.’

“I’ve never felt that before. He is handsome, charming and charismatic, but he’s also very kind and measured, very balanced and grounded – and I’m really attracted to that.

“I feel very calm when I’m with him. In past relationships, I’ve so desperately wanted them to work that I would give my everything to that relationship and end up losing myself.

“I haven’t done that this time – I haven’t given all of me. We are two individuals that want to be together, it isn’t one-sided.

“He’s supportive of my life, my career and Sunday – who he has done lots of bonding with. He is very natural with her, which is lovely to see.”

As any single or divorced mum knows, relationships can live or die depending on whether your children like your new partner. But it seems Lorri has managed to win over Sunday.

“She is a tough nut to crack, but she’s given him her seal of approval,” says Ferne.

“So it feels very healthy. It feels like he is the jigsaw piece that was missing from my puzzle.”

Ferne’s puzzle might feel complete, but there have been some bumps in the road getting there.

Days after our interview, footage emerged that appeared to show Lorri sniffing from a bag of mysterious white powder while a pal chanted: “No ket, no ket.”

The businessman – who was on holiday with Ferne and Sunday in the Maldives when the story broke – insisted he wasn’t taking ketamine and was just “joking about”.

In the wake of the revelations, however, he swiftly vanished from the holiday snaps Ferne was posting on her Instagram feed – and our questions to her PR on the matter of her relationship status fell on deaf ears. Had her happy ending come crashing down?

The answer came two weeks later (via social media, naturally) when Ferne posted a photo of the couple embracing after a beachside dinner, writing: “My soulmate. I love you.”

And just like that, it seemed all was well in paradise again. 

The pair, who share mutual friends, got together after Lorri messaged her out of the blue on Instagram over New Year, and she agreed to meet him in Dubai while she was there for a weekend in January. 

“I would never normally respond to messages on Instagram – most of them are from people asking for photos of my feet!” says Ferne.

“But I could see we had friends in common, so I decided to reply to his message.

“I have mixed feelings about Instagram, because it can be quite toxic, so it seems funny now that it has played a part in me meeting The One.”

Last month, Lorri flew to London for a week, spending time with Ferne and Sunday at her home in Essex.

During his stay, they even sparked speculation that they were engaged after Lorri posted an Instagram snap with their two hands covered by a heart emoji.

When asked if a wedding is on the cards, Ferne smiles and holds up her bare ring finger, insisting: “No, I’m not engaged.

“We were just caught up in the moment. Lorri showed me the photo and I was like: ‘You can’t post that!’ But he replied: ‘Why not? It’s a nice photo.’

“But as soon as he posted the picture, the messages came flooding in. I had to tell them all that I wasn’t engaged.

“Am I thinking along those lines? Yes. I’ve been writing it in my manifestation book for about a year – a meaningful relationship with a man who proposes.

“But if Lorri wants to propose, that’s down to him.”

The pair are now in the process of discussing the “logistics” of a long-distance relationship between Essex and Dubai, but it’s not just a big day she’s after – Ferne’s now done a 180 on the prospect of getting pregnant again, too. 

She explains: “Someone asked me a while ago if I want more children one day, and I was like: ‘I’m not sure if I do.’

“But Lorri has changed all that. I’d love to have children with him, I’d love for Sunday to have a sibling and I’d love us to build that family.

“Can I imagine doing it all again? Yes, I think I can. All my friends are getting engaged and having babies – and who doesn’t want that?”

She proves her point on our shoot, during a singalong with Sunday to We Don’t Talk About Bruno from Disney’s Encanto.

As she belts out the line: “It was my wedding day,” she jokingly adds: “There’d better be a wedding day soon!”

'LOVES LOVE'

Ferne, who describes herself as a born romantic who “loves love”, admits that some of her friends and family are wary about her latest romance.

And with just cause, as she has experienced more than her fair share of unhealthy relationships.

The TV star underwent four years of therapy to help her cope with the “trauma” of her past heartaches.

The most recent was a break-up from model and marketing manager Jack Padgett in June.

According to Ferne, he abruptly ended the relationship by telling her she wasn’t “on brand”.

She had previously dated New-York-based Albie Gibbs, before the pair split in May 2020 after the stresses of lockdown took their toll.

However, she is adamant that her latest relationship is different, and not just because of Lorri – but also because she has learned from her past mistakes.

“In the past few years, I’ve had failed relationships, but I don’t look at them as failures – they are lessons I needed to learn,” she says. “They are part of a journey I’ve been on to figure out what I want, what I don’t want and what I need.

“When I was dating after Sunday was born, I would shy away from any mention of someone being a father figure – and I can’t really explain why.

“I would say that I didn’t want anyone for Sunday, it was just me who was on  the table. Then I would eventually introduce them to her over time.

“What I have now learned is that I have to put it out there from the start that me and Sunday come as one. This is me, and Sunday is my life.”

It’s clear that Ferne and Sunday – whose dad, Arthur Collins, was jailed for 20 years in 2017 after carrying out an acid attack in a London nightclub – share an unbreakable bond, and when camera-shy Sunday is coaxed (with the help of a Kinder Egg) into posing for our photographer, Ferne makes sure to praise her.

“She’s like me,” she says. “I really respond to praise – I like a compliment.

“I actually had a penny-drop moment just now. I was explaining to my make-up artist how Sunday ignores punishment but responds to praise. And she just replied: ‘Like you, then.’ I was like: ‘Oh my god, that is me.’

“That’s my favourite thing about being a mother, watching Sunday develop. Seeing her come home from school and tell me things she’s learned. And watching her swimming from the side of the pool, wondering if one day she’ll make it to the Olympics. She’s a real little human now. The way she strings her sentences together… She knows her own mind!”

Even if she does have more children, Ferne says her bond with Sunday will always be special because of those formative years they spent on their own together.

“It’s funny, at the beginning I never wanted to be labelled as a single parent, but now it’s something I’m so proud of,” she says.

“Being a mum is the toughest job in the world, and it’s been a long road to get here.

“I’ve had days where I’ve been pulling my hair out, thinking: ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ And I’m sure there are lots of challenges ahead. But she really is such a joy. And I think you have to have those tough moments to appreciate the good… It’s about having light and shade.”

It’s not just love Ferne has found.

In recent months she’s also been exploring her religious side, admitting that she even prayed the previous night that Sunday would be well-behaved on our shoot, and dubbing her angelic behaviour on set “a miracle”.

She reveals: “I’ve always been into spirituality, meditation and gratitude, spirit guides and crystals. Then I was given a prayer book at Christmas. It made me realise that everything I was doing was really about communicating with God. It all started to make sense to me. 

“It’s so new to me and I’m no expert, at first I didn’t want to talk about it, because I didn’t want people to say I didn’t know what I was talking about. But your own experience is very personal and it all ties into how I want to live my life.”

There’s no denying that former hair stylist Ferne has come a long way since she first shot to fame when she joined hit ITVBe series TOWIE in 2013.

Speaking ahead of the reality show’s 10th anniversary back in 2020, she admitted “quite shamelessly” to wanting to become famous when she made her debut. 

After winning over the public and making it to the final of I’m A Celebrity! in 2015, she left the TOWIE bubble and since 2017 has fronted her own ITVBe reality show Ferne McCann: First Time Mum, which follows her adventures with Sunday. Lorri will make his debut in the new series, which hits screens in May.

She says: “He [Lorri] was so laid-back about it. He just said: ‘It’s part of your life, of course I’ll support you.’

“I know lots of people will have opinions about us, because the public perception of me is that I jump from one failed relationship to the next. And because I’ve got a reality show, lots of people think they know an awful lot about my life.

“But what they don’t see is all the work I’ve put into myself – learning from my mistakes, and evolving into a better person and a better mum.

“Every relationship I’ve had has changed me in some way. And I don’t want to give up on finding love, because you have to be in it to win it. I have a feeling in this relationship that I have never had before.”

Doesn’t she worry about getting hurt again? 

“No,” insists Ferne. “Maybe I should, but I don’t. Who knows what will happen tomorrow, but I feel blessed to be in a loving relationship. I’m excited. Life is good right now.

“And if my manifestation book is anything to go by, the future is looking very bright.” 

•  The new season of Ferne McCann: First Time Mum starts on ITVBe on May 4.

Hair: Sarrah Hamid using Its A 10 and Color Wow 

Make-up: Mikey Phillips using Laura Mercier and Nars 

Styling: Clemmie Fieldsend  

Stylist’s assistant: Abigail McCann  On p10