Ferne McCann says 'pressure' led to her quitting reality TV show

Ferne McCann has said it was a 'big decision' to end her reality show after eight years, as she felt it was time to press pause on her eldest daughter Sunday's TV career

Ferne McCann has expressed her sorrow upon deciding to end her reality show. The 34 year old, mother to six year old Sunday, with former partner Arthur Collins, and 15-month-old Finty, with fiancé Lorri Haines, had been at the helm of 'First Time Mum' and 'My Family and Me' on ITV since her departure from 'TOWIE'.

However, she's chosen to halt filming as her eldest faces increased "pressure".

Ferne explained: "Every time I talk about it, I feel emotional. This was such a big decision for me but I knew it was the right one. Sunday [Ferne’s daughter who turns seven next month] went into Year 2 and my gut, intuition and heart were saying, 'Let’s press pause'."

She added: "There were times when she’d get in from school and have the pressure of getting out of her uniform and ready for the show, which I didn’t want."

Reflecting on the situation, she likened it to a break-up: "But it is sad. It’s like breaking up with someone – the show was one of the longest relationships of my life."

Nonetheless, the ex-'I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!' contestant is not stepping away from the spotlight completely, as she can't picture a life without being filmed.

She said: "It’s been a glorious chapter and I have no regrets. As a mum, you’re always second-guessing yourself, so I have to keep saying, 'Trust yourself'. But I can never imagine my life without cameras. I love making TV."

Ferne, who is set to feature on Dancing On Ice early next year, is currently hosting a podcast with the parent brand mum and You. She revealed that after engaging with other parents, she has "thought twice" about how she presents her children on social media.

She expressed: "Yeah, I actually had a few moments while recording where I was like, 'Oh, you’ve made me think twice about that.' For example, we had one guest who felt really strongly about not posting her children on social media and I understood both sides. I think it has crossed every parent’s mind that this is a complete social experiment to be putting our kids online – we remember life without social media, but our kids won’t."