Ferne McCann on spinning work and motherhood plates: ‘There’s always one that’s going to smash’
By Lisa Salmon, PA
Ferne McCann admits being a mum can be “the toughest job in the world”, and one that can lead to losing your identity.
But the mum-of-two, who rose to fame on The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE), isn’t complaining. In fact, she’s carving out her mum identity by really looking after herself, as well as her kids.
“Being a working mum is a juggle – I’ve described it as spinning multiple plates, and there’s always one that’s going to smash on the floor,” admits McCann, who is mum to Sunday, aged eight, from a previous relationship with ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins, and Finty, two, who she shares with her property developer fiancé, Lorri Haines.
She stepped back from her ITVBe My Family & Me reality series after Finty’s birth, and now concentrates on her nutrition business and social media content creation.
“But I love that juggle,” she continues. “I wouldn’t want to be all in on my career, and at the same time, I wouldn’t want to be all in on motherhood. I love having that balance.
“Being a mum can be the toughest job in the world, but it’s the most rewarding. And when I think about what my future looks like, my main priority and the thing I love the most is being their mum and raising girls in this world.”
But as much as she loves being a mum, she admits: “I think you can lose yourself a little bit, and you can lose the identity of you.”
But this is something McCann is determined not to do – and her secret to not losing sight of her pre-parent self lies in keeping herself fit.
She says: “I’m super-passionate about unleashing and discovering that inner-athlete that I believe is in inside all of us.”
The 35-year-old shared on Instagram that she recently lost 2st, writing that she managed it by doing “Nothing extreme. Nothing restrictive. Just consistency with the basics.” She stresses: “I love food, and I love a lot of it – I’d hate to ever be like ‘Oh, you can’t eat that!’. It’s just about portion control, calorie deficit, and understanding that.”
She also does plenty of exercise – including two or three functional fitness classes a week, tennis once or twice a week, and she has just started doing reformer Pilates.
In 2022 she was one of the four winners of series four of the gruelling Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, and she says: “Without blowing my own trumpet, I’m the fittest I’ve ever been, probably as fit, if not fitter, than when I took part and won SAS.
“I love to have a challenge, and at the moment I really feel so strong and fit, and I love that. I love competing against the next person, or just competing against myself, lifting heavier, working harder, feeling fitter.”
And she’s not stopped there, taking part in her first fitness competition a few weeks ago. McCann asks: “Why should challenges stop for us? So I did the fitness competition, and today I went to a tennis group, which was really nerve-racking.
“When we reach a certain part in our life, why should we stop challenging ourselves? I think we should ultimately be seen and be heard, and that’s what I’ve really been trying to lean into.”
She proudly reveals her eldest daughter, Sunday, is “super sporty” confessing: “I live vicariously through her”.
But McCann does so much exercise herself, it’s clear she has no need to live vicariously, and she says: “I really pride myself on looking after myself, and I really do want to encourage that with my girls. We’re a fit family, and I love that.”
McCann says she’s “such a big advocate” of encouraging Sunday to try different sporting clubs and get involved in competitions, and even little Finty has got the fitness bug.
“Finty will grab some little mini-weights, and say ‘I’m doing my exercises’, and I love that. I think it’s really important, and I want to instil it from a young age, 100%,” she notes.
As well as looking after her body, McCann is also keen on looking after her skin. “I’m super, super-passionate about my skin and what I put on it,” she says. “What my skincare routine is, is probably one of the most commonly asked questions I get. I’m really strict on my nighttime skincare, and I double cleanse with gentle wash, and I use ointment on my lips.”
McCann says the importance of looking after her skin was drilled into her by her mother, Gilly, and she’s determined to get the same message across to her own young daughters as they grow up.
“It’s something my mum instilled from ever since I can remember – you’ve got to protect your skin. So I’ve always, always listened to her,” says McCann, who is the UK ambassador for QV Skincare, which she uses for both herself and her daughters.
“I’ve always been religious with taking my make-up off and just taking care of my skin, and I definitely want to protect the girls as much as possible, so it’s 100% something I’m going to make sure they stick to,” she stresses.
But it’s not just the obvious, physical side of health and wellbeing that McCann looks after – she’s also done her best to take control of her own mental wellbeing, and has been having therapy for more than seven years.
“I’ve only ever had the same therapist,” she reveals, “And there’s times where I think, why do I need to go? I feel really grounded, really calm. But when I then have a session with her, I absolutely love it, and I leave feeling really uplifted.
“It’s always good to talk through life with someone that’s not involved in your life.”
As well as therapy, McCann also credits her strong faith for keeping her mental health on an even keel.
Her fiancé Lorri Haines was baptised recently, and McCann says: “I’ve always prayed to God, and I’ve always believed, but now I’m really committing to my faith.
“I’ve been going to church, and praying every single evening. And to me, it’s such a personal journey. I’d consider myself as deeply spiritual, where I will sit in meditation, and have conversations with God. That’s really been the catalyst for my mental health, because it’s kept me so calm, and I feel so looked after and reassured.
“I love speaking to my therapist, I love sitting in meditation, and I love understanding psychology, but ultimately, offering it up to God has just been a real revelation.”
Ferne McCann is the UK ambassador for QV Skincare, which offers ranges featuring irritant-free, soap-free, lanolin-free, and fragrance-free formulations.
