Ferne: ‘I’ll never be free of Arthur’

He’s still that ‘dark cloud’ hanging over her

She’s made every effort to distance herself from her convicted baby daddy Arthur Collins, but as their daughter Sunday approaches her first birthday in November, Ferne Mccann is finding it no less difficult to escape the impact he and his family have on her life. In fact, it’s becoming harder to avoid the issue – despite the fact that Arthur, 26, lost an appeal last week to reduce his 20-year sentence, which he’s serving as a result of a London nightclub acid attack in 2017. According to sources, the reality star now fears she’ll never be free from him.

“Arthur and his family are more determined than ever to play a huge role in Sunday’s life,” an insider close to Ferne, 27, tells heat. “She could try to deny him visits from Sunday, but she can’t stop him from writing to her, or his mum and sister wanting to see the baby. It’s heartbreaking for Ferne – she really doesn’t want this pressure. It feels as though Arthur is a dark cloud hanging over her life with Sunday.”

Earlier this year, Ferne revealed that she had been taking Sunday to visit her ex in prison after he enforced his parental rights, insisting at the time that she’d be the one to accompany her daughter as she wanted “absolute control of the situation”. She added, “If she’s going to go into a prison, I want to be with her and know she’s OK.” But according to our insider, the 400-mile round-trips to the maximum security prison Full Sutton in York are really taking their toll on the reality star.

“So far, the prison visits have been monthly, although she really doesn’t want to do them at all – she feels like a gangster’s wife,” we’re told. “It’s very uncomfortable for Ferne, especially if she gets photographed doing it. But there’s nothing that can be done to stop the Collins family from taking an interest in Sunday.

“In an ideal world, she would prefer it if his mother or sister took Sunday to visit Arthur, and she knows Sunday would be safe, but that would mean she wouldn’t be there with her daughter – and she just can’t tolerate doing that at the moment.” n

‘She really doesn’t want this pressure’