Ferne: “I was stuck in a vicious cycle – now I’ve never felt happier”
Reality star Ferne McCann opens up about how she turned her life around for the better and finally found inner peace
She found fame and fortune in her twenties amid the party-loving TOWIE set – but after becoming a mum and reinventing herself as a fitness guru, Ferne McCann insists she’s finally found true happiness at 30.
Ferne, who hit the milestone last month, has undergone an incredible transformation since the birth of her daughter Sunday in 2017. She puts her amazing figure and inner confidence down to clean eating, regular workouts and, after a tough few years, finally learning to love herself.
“I feel the best I’ve ever felt in my life,” she beams. “My old lifestyle left me bloated, lethargic and demotivated. Now I feel strong, super lean and have a real sense of strength. Back then I didn’t have anywhere near as much self-love as I do now. It’s amazing!”
The star, who is set to appear in the sixth series of her reality show, First Time Mum, later this year, reveals her lifestyle of boozy weekends, junk food and lack of discipline during her TOWIE years took its toll. She says, “I was stuck in a vicious cycle in a lifestyle that didn’t make me feel good. I was going out with friends at the weekend, then feeling crap at the start of the week. I would then set unrealistic goals to get in shape – like wanting to train every single day, twice a day, which is just crazy! I would then feel disappointed when I couldn’t stick to it – and order a big takeaway!”
REALISTIC GOALS
She adds, “I got to a point where I didn’t want to feel like that any more. I made the decision to set clear, realistic goals with training and overhaul my diet – and then I fell pregnant with Sunday!”
Since then she’s fully embraced her new lifestyle, with her own fitness DVD and, on her 30th birthday, launched Embodyment – an online health and fitness platform – to help other women feel empowered and regain their confidence with a range of recipes, workouts and expert tips.
“I want to help other women be the best version of themselves,” says Ferne, who split from Sunday’s father, Arthur Collins, during her pregnancy after he was jailed for orchestrating an acid attack in a London nightclub. “If you can fill your body with good food and get moving, it can have a huge impact on everything else in your life – from work to relationships. It’s about how it makes you feel more than how it makes you look.”
Ferne certainly practises what she preaches, working out for an hour five times a week and sticking to a healthy, balanced diet as much as possible.
“I’ll drop Sunday to nursery in the morning then have a workout,” she says. “Because of lockdown I wasn’t using my personal trainer, so I’ve been doing home workouts instead.”
She adds, “I absolutely love cooking – breakfast could be a shake or a boiled egg with tabasco sauce, for lunch I’ll have a chicken salad, and dinner is typically a healthy salmon stir-fry. I also graze between meals on carrot sticks and houmous, or rice cakes and avocado. But I’m a chocoholic and still need some chocolate every day!”
And the star is keen not to repeat the past. She adds, “I don’t drink as much as when I was in my twenties – with juggling being a mum and work, I couldn’t deal with the hangovers! But I still love the odd glass of wine – my ultimate cheat night is a takeaway
wood-fired pizza, a bar of chocolate and a bottle of sauvignon. Heaven!”
After recently admitting she spent much of her twenties constantly comparing herself to other women, Ferne is finally happy in her own skin.
She adds, “I’m absolutely not at my smallest – but I’ve never felt better. I’m probably most proud of my waist and like to show it off in crop-tops and high-waisted jeans!”
VERY SEXY
She adds, “Before Sunday, I was never big, but I was never ripped either. Back then, I didn’t feel as body confident. But it’s more than that – it’s self-love. That’s not an easy journey. I’ve had a baby and I’ve turned 30
– I have a whole new-found respect for my body and what it can do.”
And while she recently told Closer that dating wasn’t a priority after splitting from her City trader boyfriend back in March, she admits her confidence has turned heads.
“Three people recently told me I looked ‘very sexy’,” she laughs. “One of them was a guy! I take it more as a compliment when it’s from a girl, but it’s still nice when it’s someone from the opposite sex.”