Tearful Ferne: “I’m desperate for Sunday to meet her dad”

As her ex Arthur Collins’ trial concludes, pals say Ferne Mccann is unsure how to manage their relationship

She endured a turbulent start to her pregnancy when her thenboyfriend Arthur Collins was arrested and later charged over a vicious acid attack at an East London club in April.

And two weeks ago Ferne Mccann gave birth during Arthur’s trial, where he was charged with injuring 16 people and five counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and nine counts of actual bodily harm.

HEARTACHE

The former TOWIE star, 27, announced baby Sunday’s arrival on Instagram, posting, “Didn’t expect to see you a week early,” while revealing that she was “so in love and bursting with pride.”

As Closer went to press, Arthur’s month-long trial was coming to an end as the jury were sent home for the weekend to continue deliberations on Monday.

And pals say it’s sparked even more heartache for Ferne.

A source says, “Ferne has deliberately stayed quiet about the case surrounding Arthur and has taken some time away from the spotlight so she can distance herself from it as much as possible. It’s been an emotional roller-coaster becoming a mum and seeing someone she loved in such an awful situation. Dealing with Arthur’s case while pregnant is the hardest thing Ferne has ever done. There have been days when she’s cried herself to sleep and not wanted to see anyone.

“There’s a big part of her that’s desperate for Sunday to meet Arthur as soon as possible – she accepts he will always be her dad. She’s always feared not having a father figure for her child growing up.”

TAINTED

Ferne was mentioned during the trial when Arthur’s lawyer claimed he went on the run for six days because he was scared that a London gang would target her. His lawyer said, “There he is, a young man with a partner who is expecting. And a partner who is in the media. And so that is something that is going to attract attention. And bad attention, potentially, for her. As time goes on, it gets worse. As he told you, he has never felt so scared.”

Pals now say that Ferne wants to put the ordeal behind her and focus on the first few weeks with her daughter.

The source says, “To hear she was mentioned in court is embarrassing, she got quite upset when she heard. Ferne felt her pregnancy was tainted by a lot of stress and sadness over Arthur, but she won’t use Sunday as a weapon to hurt him.

“She’s remained close to his family and they went to see her in hospital. She has been leaning on her mum, Gilly, and has a good group of friends around her. She still feels emotional that things are over with Arthur, but she won’t look back and has told pals she’s open to the possibility of a new relationship.”