Pregnant Ferne: “I feel so helpless – but I’m determined to stay strong”
As her ex-boyfriend Arthur’s trial continues, insiders say Ferne Mccann is struggling as new details emerge E:
She couldn’t S escape the headlines during his dramatic trial last week, as Ferne Mccann’s ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins was in court over an acid attack in a London nightclub earlier this year. And friends say it has thrown up fresh turmoil for pregnant Ferne, who doesn’t know what to think as more details of the night emerged. Ferne’s world fell apart in April, when her then-boyfriend Arthur, whom she’d been dating since last year, was arrested. And now sources close to the star – who immediately called time on their romance and is due to give birth to their child next month – say she’s more torn than ever over the state of their relationship. A source says, “Ferne’s always wanted to keep things amicable between her and Arthur for the sake of their baby. Arthur’s arrest was a devastating blow, but once she came to terms with it and her family rallied around her, she really found her stride and was adamant this wasn’t going to ruin her pregnancy. But hearing everything laid bare in court has reopened old wounds and she’s found it all just too much to bear. She’s completely torn between wanting to keep her baby’s father in their lives and her need to move on.”
Arthur, 25, has denied five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and 11 counts of actual bodily harm – which left two people partially blinded – along with his friend and co-defendant Andre Phoenix, 21.
Arthur doesn’t dispute that he threw the acid, but his defence lawyer claims he overheard a group of men planning to spike a woman’s drink, and after a confrontation, snatched the bottle from them, believing it was a date rape drug rather than acid when he threw it.
But the prosecution claim he and Andre smuggled the acid into the club. They argue that the CCTV footage showed Arthur throwing acid into the face of a man, saying, “as that man went down in pain, the aggressor threw acid a second time directed towards another man, and then threw acid a third time.”
It’s been a traumatising time for 27-year-old Ferne. The news of Arthur’s arrest came just hours after an interview was published in which she declared her love for him. She gushed that he was “definitely The One”, that they were moving in together the following month, and spoke of their marriage plans. Just
days after Arthur’s arrest, Ferne confirmed she was pregnant with the pair’s first child.
The source says, “Ferne has always wanted to settle down and start a family, and her wish had finally come true. She’d never been so happy. But with everything being stirred back up, she feels like her world is collapsing around her again. She can’t help feeling hurt.”
As Closer has previously reported, the pair were back in touch, and Ferne had visited Arthur in the run up to the trial.
The source says, “At a time when Ferne just wants to feel in control and prepared for motherhood, she feels helpless. She’s taking it one day at a time and says she won’t make any life choices until the baby arrives. She’s finding the trial hugely stressful at a time when she just wants to relax, but she’s still determined to try to stay strong.”