Inside biggest Towie scandals – Ferne McCann voice notes to Gemma Collins’ jailbird ex & star’s shocking assault on kid
FERNE McCann has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Yesterday the 32-year-old admitted she did make vile remarks about her ex's acid attack victim in a leaked voice note, and issued a grovelling apology.
Sophie Hall was scarred for life in 2017 when Ferne’s then-boyfriend Arthur Collins threw acid in a London club - a crime which injured 22 and saw him jailed for 20 years.
Ferne, then pregnant with Collins’ baby, dumped him immediately.
But an anonymous Instagram account released an audio clip in which Ferne called the victim an “ugly f*****g c***”. Ferne has since insisted she acted out of fear.
The star's First Time Mum show is reportedly now at risk, while her reputation has taken a battering.
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Ferne is not the first The Only Way Is Essex star to end up in hot water - here we take a look at some of the most shocking scandals that hit the cast.
Mike Hassini - drink-driving & money laundering
Mike Hassini, now 28, joined TOWIE in 2015 but was suspended the following year after crashing his Mercedes into another at a traffic light on Oxford Street in August 2016.
Police found he was more than two times over the drink-drive limit and in possession of a “small quantity” of cocaine.
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The personal trainer pleaded guilty to possessing the Class A drug and driving under the influence, but was acquitted of assaulting a detention officer.
He was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work, pay £170 in costs and was banned from driving.
Hassini was back in TOWIE by July 2017, but got the boot again after six months.
In 2018 he was embroiled in a money laundering scheme involving diamonds that conned 28 people and involved investments of between £400,000 and £450,000.
Hassini admitted his involvement but was spared jail, receiving a 15-month sentence suspended for 17 months and 200 hours unpaid work.
He was eventually jailed for six years and nine months in December 2021 after being caught with £144,000 worth of cocaine.
Police raided his girlfriend Jess Milford's home - though she was not involved - and found incriminating evidence which saw him admit possession with intent to supply.
Mark Wright - arson attack and bar brawl
Mark Wright was charged with using threatening behaviour after an incident outside his nightclub in January 2011.
The star, now 35, was alleged to have “seen red” after he heard Tom Grantham say he was going to throw a brick through the window of Deuces Bar and Lounge.
Mark, who co-owned Deuces with Jack Tweed, the widow of Jade Goody - appeared in Redbridge Magistrate’s Court but was cleared of all charges.
Jack admitted common assault in relation to an attack on Tom the same night.
The bar previously suffered two suspected arson attacks that destroyed its interior.
James Lock - drugs shame & 'racism' row
James Lock, now 35, pleaded guilty to possessing the Class C drug Ketamine in 2014.
He was initially arrested on suspicion of possessing Class A drugs and for criminal damage after he and another male were involved in a dispute with a taxi driver in Dagenham, Essex.
He managed to dodge a three-month prison sentence and was handed a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 in costs.
James was temporarily suspended from the show during the investigation.
The following year he was accused of hurling racist insults at two men at a pool party in Chigwell, Essex.
However Towie investigated the claim, made by an alleged witness, and
Mario Falcone - assault on kid & coke video
In 2011 Mario Falcone was cautioned by police for assaulting an 11-year-old boy.
The Towie star confronted a group of youths making lewd comments about his partner at the time, Lucy Mecklenburgh, outside his home in Essex.
He was arrested for assault after allegedly grabbing one of them by the throat.
Three years later in June 2014, Mario found himself in hot water after allegedly snorting cocaine in a pal’s kitchen.
A source told The Sun: “He just started snorting this stuff in front of everyone. No one could believe their eyes.”
Mario faced suspension from the show and was banned from filming in Marbella with the rest of the cast.
He later apologised for the incident, saying he’s received professional help after going “off the rails”.
Dan Osbourne - stab threat
Dan Osbourne was dropped from TOWIE in 2015 after a recording emerged of him ranting at his ex-girlfriend and mother of his son, Megan Tomlin.
The message included a threat to “stick a knife” in her and branded her a “sl**” and a “dirty little c***”.
Essex Police launched an investigation into the threats, but it was later dropped.
In an apology statement, Dan said he was "ashamed and embarrassed" and "truly sorry" for his "deeply regrettable behaviour".
Dan is now married to EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa, with whom he has two daughters, and said in 2018 that he is on good terms with Megan.
Gemma Collins - GBH boyfriend
Fan favourite Gemma Collins dated Stephen Mortimer between 2015 and 2016, a man who was sentenced to two years for GBH.
After being released early, he breached the terms of his licence by moving into Gemma’s house in Brentwood.
He was taken back to prison while she was in the Celebrity Big Brother house.
When she came out they broke up after she accused him of cheating on her.
Later in 2016, Mortimer was jailed again after he was convicted of stealing £100 in coins in a burglary, 11 days after stealing jewellery.
Gemma was allegedly axed from TOWIE in 2015 for throwing a champagne flute at bosses following her infamous on-screen row with Bobby Norris, Lauren Pope and Vas Morgan.
Cara Kilbey - drug money boyfriend
Cara Kilbey was on TOWIE for four series before leaving in 2012, with her partner making headlines in the years since.
Daniel Harris, the father of her three children, spent nearly a year behind bars back in 2016.
He had been accused of running a multi-million pound London drugs empire pulling in £500,000 a week, but was cleared of two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine.
However he did receive a two year sentence for possession of criminal property after stashing £116,000 of drugs cash in their daughter’s bedroom.
Having spent nearly a year on remand in Wandsworth Prison, he was released in February 2017.
Lauren Goodger - burglar boyfriend
Lauren Goodger also can't seem to resist a bad boy.
She dated Joey Morrison, sentenced to 16 years in 2010 for a string of drug-related crimes including pretending to be a postman to enter people’s homes in Enfield, north London.
Other offences include possession of a firearm, kidnapping, blackmail and actual bodily harm.
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Shortly before his release from Highpoint South prison in 2018, Morrison was accused of sending female “fans” explicit snaps from his sell.
Lauren dumped him after the news of his flirty messages, writing on Instagram: “How silly I was to love and trust someone and give them my all.”