Ferne McCann has opened up about her decision to end her ITV show after her daughter Sunday questioned her own fame, asking: “Mummy, am I famous?”
The 34-year-old reality TV sensation – who shot to stardom on The Only Way Is Essex and confirmed on on Monday that she’s the first contestant for 2025 – invited viewers into her personal life through her First Time mum series during her pregnancy with Sunday, now six. Since then, she’s found love with her fiance Lorri Haines and gave birth to their second child, Finty, one, in July last year.
Despite cherishing the show as “the best home video ever” Ferne was prompted to conclude the series when confronted by Sunday’s innocent inquiry about fame, as reported by the Sunday Mirror.
She recounted: “The show has been going on for so long that we joked we’d still be filming when Sunday had children and be calling it Second Time Nan. But I knew the time would eventually come to either have a break or stop altogether, and for the last year I’ve been thinking about it. The point where everything changed was when Sunday actually said to me: ‘Am I famous? ‘ A few of her friends had seen her on an advert.”
Ferne continued, expressing her discomfort: “And I was like: ‘Oh I don’t know…’ It made me feel uncomfortable, because I don’t want her to feel she is different Sunday has done the show since she was born, so she’s always been aware of the cameras, but we’d never felt she was aware of the situation. She’s never actually watched the show. But after that it felt like a whole different ball game, so I went away and worked out what I was feeling, and it felt like the right time to stop,” reports .
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Ferne McCann has quit her reality TV show (Image: ITV)
Ferne expressed her pride in the show, stating, “This show has been a glorious experience, I’m immensely proud of it and have absolutely no regrets – what an amazing home video. But for me now, I want Sunday to have a life where she doesn’t have to come home from school, get changed and film. This isn’t the end of Sunday being on TV – she will still pop up – but it won’t be so often.”
The cameras have captured Ferne and Sunday’s journey for 13 series, documenting all their milestones. When asked about her thoughts on Sunday potentially pursuing a career in the limelight, Ferne said: “I have thought about that. What would I do if Sunday was 18 and asked to go on Love Island? The answer is, I would support her in anything she wants to do – but I want her to create her own path.”
Ferne smiles with fiance Lorri Haines and daughters Sunday and Finty (Image: )
Ferne added, “I actually think she’d be amazing behind the camera, she’s always been really interested in what the crew are doing. She’d be an amazing editor. But I’m still hoping she’s going to go to the Olympics because she is insane at sport. I’m biased – and I don’t want to be a momager or a pushy parent – but she really is amazing. It’s one of the great things about being a parent – when they’re good at something, and it just makes you so proud.”
As Ferne reflected on her journey with The Only Way Is Essex, she shared the poignant moment of telling her daughter, Sunday, about their step back from filming. “When I told Sunday we weren’t going to be filming anymore, she was really sad. It was heartbreaking, she said to me: ‘But the camera people aren’t going to play with me anymore?’ We’ve been filming for so long that the crew are like family to us. And I can’t ever see my life without cameras – I love making TV and I’ve had some great experiences.”
Ferne McCann smiles with daughter Sunday (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
She continues with a look toward her professional horizon, “But I think it is time for me to move into other projects and do something different that doesn’t involve my family so much. I’m in talks with ITV about some projects and I’m really excited about what the future holds. And I’m always going to be an open book whatever I do, because I always wear my heart on my sleeve.”
Ferne expressed her desire to dive into documentary filmmaking, delving into topics close to her heart. “We joke that I’ve spoken to every single expert in every field. From breastfeeding to – in this series – an intimacy coach. In series, we’ve done the rounds. I’ve got so many different passions – birth breastfeeding, my faith – I’d love to explore those subjects, whether in a documentary or a different style of TV. I’d love to do a podcast, I’d love to do a book. It’s exciting and I think that I really just want to look forward to the future. When you make such a big decision, even if know it’s right, there is a part of you that thinks: ‘What if’ so I really want to be super positive now and move forward like that.”
Ferne McCann – My Family and Me is presently being broadcast on ITVBe and ITVX, every Wednesday at 9pm.