Ferne McCann confessed she previously ‘struggled to come to terms’ with being a single parent as she reflected on the challenges she has faced raising a child on her own.
The reality star, 30, who is the mother to three-year-old Sunday, was forced to embark on the journey to parenthood alone after her father’s child, Arthur Collins, was jailed for a brutal acid attack.
And reflecting on life with her daughter, she addressed the misconceptions of being a single parent to The Independent on Tuesday.
Candid: Ferne McCann confessed she previously ‘struggled to come to terms’ with being a single parent as she reflected on the challenges she has faced raising a child on her own
Ferne said: ‘I guess I was one of those people that might have had a misconception about single parenting, because I didn’t want to be called a single parent when I was pregnant.
‘I didn’t want to be labelled with it, because I hadn’t come to terms with the fact I was going to be a single parent yet. Until I started living and being it, that was when I felt really proud.
Ferne recalled doing a ‘360 overnight’ as she elaborated: ‘Now I feel totally fine being called a single parent because the fact is, I am. The misconception is not that you’ve failed, but obviously you don’t plan to be a single parent – although I know some people do.’
When asked what the toughest part of being a single mother is, the former TOWIE star said managing the responsibility of raising a child on your own, without having the option to share the load with a partner.
Strong: The reality star, 30, who is the mother to three-year-old Sunday, was forced to embark on her journey to parenthood alone after her father’s child Arthur Collins was jailed for an acid attack
While admitting it can be ‘difficult,’ she said it is ‘incredibly rewarding,’ because in return, she receives the complete love of her child.
The star, who documents her life as a parent on the show Ferne McCann: First Time Mum, said the biggest thing she has learned from parenting is the art of patience, but she admitted that sometimes she is too laid back with Sunday.
However, her number one priority as a mother is to be ‘understanding,’ as she said she hopes to always be there for her daughter.
Ferne’s dynamic at home with Sunday has recently changed after she moved in her boyfriend, Jack Padgett, to their Essex home.
Honest: She said to The Independent on Tuesday: ‘I didn’t want to be labelled with it, because I hadn’t come to terms with the fact I was going to be a single parent yet’
The reality star went public with the model in late December after first meeting five years ago, and she admitted living together ‘fast-forwarded’ her romance with her ‘calm and kind’ beau.
The mother-of-one explained while she initially found the prospect of letting a new man into her life ‘daunting’, she is confident she has found the ‘right person’ in longtime friend Jack.
Discussing her new Get Your Groove Back plan on her fitness app, Embodyment With Ferne, she told MailOnline: ‘You have to want to work at it. You can’t just be with someone and that’s it, you have to want to be with each other and co-exist.
‘It’s about learning to want to be together and I’m loving it, he’s so calm and kind and measured, but also fun.
New relationship: Ferne’s dynamic at home with her daughter Sunday has recently changed after she moved in her boyfriend Jack Padgett to their Essex home
‘I feel very happy and lucky really. It’s a new experience being with someone in a relationship which I actually want to work on.’
Ferne added: ‘Dating right now is completely different and has changed so much for everyone so you’ve got to be creative.
‘I think it’s all fast-forwarded, that’s why we decided to quarantine together and do this lockdown together, and it’s going well so far.’
The couple first met five years ago while partying in the Spanish holiday hotspot of Marbella and stayed friends, before reuniting on a romantic basis in late 2020.
Ferne told MailOnline: ‘It makes me laugh when people ask, “Where did you meet?” and I say “Marbella”. It sounds like such a typical Essex thing, even though he’s not from Essex.
‘With social media, we’ve always kept in touch and followed each other on Instagram.
‘He does events, so we went to a brunch during the time when restaurants were allowed to be open in the UK last year.
‘I was telling my friends I really wanted to go out for food and then Jack was doing an event, and the rest is history.
‘I feel like it was timing, I’ve known him ages but I feel like it was just our time.’
Smitten: The couple first met five years ago while partying in the Spanish holiday hotspot of Marbella and stayed friends, before reuniting on a romantic basis in late 2020