PRISON VISITS
Ferne McCann reveals why she WILL be taking daughter Sunday to see acid attack thug Arthur Collins in prison
The former Towie star said she wants her daughter to make up her own mind when she's older
FERNE McCann has revealed why she will be taking her daughter Sunday to see her dad Arthur Collins in prison.
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Late last year Collins was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the attack.
However, while her relationship with Collins is over, Ferne will continue to bring her daughter to prison to visit him after his legal team sent her a letter asserting his right to see his daughter and be involved in her life.
The demand initially prompted an exchange of letters between their lawyers but Ferne says it made her confront the fact Collins will, at some stage, be involved in Sunday’s life.
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Ferne has now decided not to fight his assertion, after seeking advice from her own lawyers and a child psychologist.
She said: “It is a huge thing to have to make decisions you are forced into. I have to think of Sunday and what is best for her.
"It hasn’t been an easy decision and some people may think I’m wrong. But the last thing I want to do is hide what is going on.
“I’m with Sunday every day of her life and she is my number one priority. I am doing this so she can make her own choice when she’s older, rather than me forcing it on her now.
“I hope it is the right decision, and I think it is. Having accepted that position I had to accept I would probably also need to see Arthur again.
“If Arthur has to see Sunday, then I want absolute control of the situation. If she is going into a prison I want to be with her and know she’s OK. I’m not going to just drop her off and hope for the best."
While the wrangling has been painful, Ferne said she decided to speak about the situation to silence rumours the pair are still in a relationship.
She said: “Arthur and his family will always be in my life because we have a child. But I don’t know how people can possibly think Arthur and I are still together. There is no way back.
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Ferne McCann breast feeds baby Sunday while getting her make-up done for the National TV Awards 2018
“I don’t think people realised the impact Arthur’s actions had on me as they were rightly more concerned with those that were physically hurt that night. Those actions have made the last 12 months of my life horrendous.”
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Lifting the lid on her new love interest, she said: “There is someone older who has been a confidant — who’s been there for me emotionally.
“I’d hardly call it a relationship, it’s in the early stages. I’ve only just had a baby after all and Sunday still sleeps in the same bed as me. I have no idea whether it will develop but he knows that I can’t rush things.
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“I’m definitely open to finding love again because I’m a romantic at heart. But it has to be when the time is right. Right now it’s just me and Sunday, and I feel very lucky.”
Meanwhile Collins’ legal team has lodged an appeal against his sentence and aim to convince a judge he is not a danger to the public. It could see him freed from jail in ten years.
FERNE has asked that her fee for this interview be donated to the charity Gingerbread, which helps support single parents. For more information see .
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