Reality star Ferne McCann talks about breastfeeding, life as a family of four and her dream to get into acting
WORDS: GEMMA MCCARTNEY PHOTOS: ANNA FOWLER STYLING: KATE BARBOUR STYLING ASSISTANT: KITTY BOWES HAIR: ROWAN IRELAND MAKE-UP: HUDA OKUONGHAE VIDEOGRAPHER: ROBERT KETTMAN
SUPER MUM
Six months on from welcoming her second baby, Ferne McCann is feeling more confident in her physique than ever and has gained even more respect for the female form since giving birth. So, the star has posed for OK! in a gorgeous breastfeeding-themed photoshoot with her daughter Finty.
In her most revealing interview yet, the former TOWIE star and mum-of-two opens up about drinking her own breast milk (and how she would like to put it in her fiancé Lorri’s morning coffee) and lifts the lid on why she and her husband-to-be are sleeping in separate beds and loving it.
First things first, we chat about her breastfeeding journey, which is something she describes as beautiful.
“We know the health benefits and how incredible it is for the baby and for the mother as well,” she says. “I understand that not everyone can breastfeed. Not every mother can do it physically for various reasons, but for me, it’s been such an empowering, beautiful and very intimate experience.”
It’s no secret that Ferne loves breastfeeding and the bond it has given her with Finty. She also had a thoroughly enjoyable experience breastfeeding her eldest daughter Sunday, six – who she shares with an ex – until she was six months old.
“I’m not anti-formula,” she says. “In fact, I gave Sunday formula after I stopped breastfeeding her. What is so important is that mothers have a choice – it’s not for everyone and that’s OK. It grows resilience and I love the warmth of snuggling up to my baby and feeding her from my body. It blows my mind. I’ve had a few comments saying, ‘All feeding is the best.’ I think it’s whatever is best for the mother and the baby.”
Ferne defends her right, and other mothers’, to breastfeed in public, on social media and on television.
“Lots of people think you are attention-seeking, but you’re not,” Ferne, 33, explains.
“It’s literally capturing a moment of motherhood. For me, it [breastfeeding] has given me complete joy, peace and gratitude. I think, especially with motherhood, people online can be opinionated, which is fine. I’ve said before, I welcome the mum police
