Ferne McCann has reportedly contacted the police over leaked voice notes aimed at her former friend Sam Faiers.
The former TOWIE star, 32, has been embroiled in an ongoing feud with Sam, 31, after audio footage was leaked which allegedly saw Ferne brand her pal a ‘fat c***’.
According to The Sun, Ferne has now reached out to Essex Police to see if they can locate the anonymous person behind an Instagram account that has been sharing the shocking voice notes.
Help: Ferne McCann has reportedly contacted the police over leaked voice notes aimed at her former friend Sam Faiers
A source said: ‘Ferne was visited by the police on Thursday night after having her life turned upside down by a fake account that has launched a malicious smear campaign against her.
‘Officers spent a few hours with her and gave reassurances that they are prioritising this case, tracking the parties responsible.
‘Having taken statements, the police are currently in the process of tracking the fake account’s whereabouts. The Online Safety Bill was discussed as they clamp down on cyber crime.’
Ferne has reportedly been left devastated by the leaked notes and ‘can’t stop crying’ as she has received backlash from fans online.
Falling out: The former TOWIE star, 32, has been embroiled in an ongoing feud with Sam, 31, after audio footage was leaked which allegedly saw Ferne brand her pal a ‘fat c***’ (pictured together in 2019)
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Essex Police and Ferne McCann for comment.
Ferne and Sam grew up together in Essex and have known each other for more than 20 years, and later both enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame on reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex.
But the friends have had their rocky moments over the years, and it has once again become strained by leaked votes notes which claim to feature Ferne, 32, branding Sam, 31, a ‘narcissistic b**ch’ and a ‘fat c***’.
Sam unfollowed and blocked Ferne on Instagram after hearing the message, which said: ‘Sam Faiers is a fat c***, her thighs are so big, and I looked really skinny today and um yeah.’
Leaked: Ferne has now reached out to Essex Police to see if they can locate the anonymous person behind an Instagram account that has been sharing the shocking voice notes (pictured filming TOWIE in 2014)
It was also claimed she took a swipe at Sam’s sister Billie for giving her son the same name as her ex-boyfriend in a leaked voice note.
The clip, leaked to Instagram on Thursday, claims to be from Ferne talking about her best pal Billie, 32, deciding to call her son Arthur.
But fans have expressed sympathy with Ferne, saying they feel the apparent feud should be sorted in private and saying that ‘everyone has said things behind closed doors’.
Billie shares her son Arthur and daughter Nelly with her husband Greg Shepherd, while they are currently expecting a third child together.
A source said: ‘Officers spent a few hours with her and gave reassurances that they are prioritising this case, tracking the parties responsible’
In a voice message, Ferne allegedly said it was ‘weird’ that Billie decided to call her son Arthur – the name of Ferne’s ex Arthur Collins, who she shares daughter Sunday with.
Arthur, 29, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty of carrying out a brutal acid attack in 2017. Ferne has raised Sunday as a single parent.
The voice note says: ‘It feels so weird saying ‘Arthur’, I can’t believe, it’s like me having a little boy and calling him Greg, anyway, whatever.’
However, many fans have flocked to Ferne’s defence, insisting everyone makes comments ‘behind closed doors’ and arguing that the row should be sorted in private.
Row: In a voice message, Ferne allegedly said it was ‘weird’ that Billie decided to call her son Arthur – the name of Ferne’s ex Arthur Collins, who she shares daughter Sunday with
Taking to social media, one fan said: ‘Always two sides to every story. You just never know what goes on behind closed doors. Fact.’
Another wrote: ‘I really disagree with this, however can’t it be sorted privately, I recon Ferne will be in a very bad place over this, as much as she has done wrong, two wrongs don’t make a right.’
While a third added: ‘It’s not nice what @fernemccann has said but come on!! We all say things behind closed doors.’
A fourth commented: ‘Ferne is being proper outed I do think it needs to be sorted in private!’
Support: Many fans have flocked to Ferne’s defence, insisting everyone makes comments ‘behind closed doors’ and arguing that the row should be sorted in private
As reports of a row continue to circulate, Ferne’s fiancé Lorri Haines appears to have made a swipe as he shared a cryptic post.
The real estate agent took to his Instagram Stories on Friday to share a mysterious quote about not ‘depending too much on anyone’.
It read: ‘Don’t depend too much on anyone in this world. Even your shadow leaves you when you’re in darkness.’
Just weeks before the row, Ferne went on a family holiday with her fiancé Lorri, and Billie and her husband Greg and their two children.
Friends are said to have rallied around both camps amid the furore, with insiders claiming that Ferne has gone into ‘panic mode’ over the drama.
Swipe? As reports of a row continue to circulate, Ferne’s fiancé Lorri Haines (pictured with Ferne above) appears to have made a swipe as he shared a cryptic post
A source close to Ferne said: ‘She is in a living nightmare and wants this to stop. People don’t know all the facts. All eyes are on what could come out next on this Instagram account.’
‘If those voice notes were made by Ferne then it is incredibly damaging. She is being seen as a bit toxic at the moment. No one can believe she would say such things.’
Sam’s sister Billie – who is close friends with Ferne – is said to have confronted Ferne over the shocking leaked audio recordings.
Ex: Ferne’s ex Arthur, 29, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty of carrying out a brutal acid attack in 2017. Ferne has raised daughter Sunday as a single parent
Ferne is said to have denied that it is her voice on the messages but it has been reported that the phone conversation did not end well.
A second voice note has been released which is reportedly of Ferne branding Sam a ‘narcissistic b**ch’, which leaked on social media on Wednesday evening.
It came shortly after Ferne appeared to body shame her, describing her thighs as ‘so big’, in another recording.
Allegedly Ferne describing Sam, the voice note said: ‘Sort of girl that she is, she’s just a narcissistic b**ch, she honestly won’t care.’
Cutting to a different message, the voice note says: ‘It’s an exact copy. It’s just so s**t on people who have worked so hard. Because she’s got a big following, it’s just ridiculous.’
The Instagram account wrote alongside the clip: ‘@FerneMcCann what a jealous bitter woman talking about your so called best friend @SamanthaFaiers who you have known for 20 years.
‘As a friend you should be supporting your friends not running to other friends and slating them.’
The voice messages were allegedly sent by Ferne on WhatsApp to a friend in June, just a month after Sam had given birth to her third baby, Edward.
After the first clips were circulated online, Sam’s mother Suzie was so appalled by the message that she posted it on her Instagram page, which is accessible to her 270,000 followers, this morning.
Suzie wrote: ‘So, after a few days of hurt and upset I can no longer sit back and say nothing.
‘The vile voice note has been circulating social media, and now press articles are calling it a ‘feud’, which it is not.
‘Shocked’: After hearing the first clip, Sam’s mum Suzie posted a statement to her Instagram saying: ‘Nobody should ever speak about their friends like this’
‘This has come as a complete shock to myself and my family. Ferne has always been a very close family friend to all of us for over the past 20 years.
‘It appears this voice note was sent just weeks after Samantha gave birth back in May. Since this voice note has surfaced more has been sent – very upsetting nasty things.
‘We are as shocked as you are! Nobody should ever speak about their friends like this ever!
‘My girls are my absolute everything and I’ll do anything to protect them. I don’t have anything else to say on the matter.’
‘Vile’: Sam’s mum Suzie (pictured) was so appalled by the message that she posted it on her Instagram page, which is accessible to her 269,000 followers this morning
A source told MailOnline: ‘Naturally Sam is incredibly hurt and upset by these comments, especially from someone she considered to be a good friend, she’s at a loss as to why Ferne has decided to speak out about her in such a derogatory way.’
Sam unfollowed and blocked Ferne on Instagram after hearing the message, which in full said: ‘Sam Faiers is a fat c***, her thighs are so big, and I looked really skinny today and um yeah.’
Reality TV stars Ferne and Sam have been close friends and in each other’s lives for more than two decades.
In their TOWIE heyday the pair would party at Essex haunt Sugar Hut and support each other through their dramatic storylines, including when Sam split from on-off boyfriend Joey Essex.
They have celebrated milestone birthdays together, the arrivals of their children, and Ferne is also a close friend of Sam’s sister Billie, 32, attending her hen do, wedding, and baby showers.
Ferne shared an emotional tribute to Sam on her 30th birthday in 2021, declaring her love for her former co-star on Instagram.
She said: ‘Wow it’s been emotional looking back at all of these pictures. So many laughs, parties, and special memories made. You my darling have given me so many memories that I will cherish forever.’
Ferne even sang at Billie’s 2019 wedding in the Maldives, with the reality star saying the surprise performance from her best friend was a moment she will never forget.
Sam and Ferne’s relationship has been blighted in the past amid various fallouts – but they have always managed to make amends.
They feuded over their rival TV shows after Ferne landed First Time Mum following the success of Sam’s ITVBe series The Mummy Dairies.
‘Cherished memories’: Ferne shared a tribute to Sam on her 30th birthday in 2021, declaring her love for her on Instagram and sharing throwback pictures of them throughout the years
Throwback: In their TOWIE heyday Sam and Ferne would party at Essex haunt Sugar Hut and support each other through their dramatic storylines
In 2018, Sam confirmed the pair had put their differences aside, saying: ‘To be honest over the last couple of years Ferne and I hadn’t seen eye to eye over on a number of things and sometimes as friends you do just drift apart.
‘I’m in Hertfordshire with my family and she’s doing her thing with her family. There was never a big argument, we just drifted apart but it was nice actually because at my sister’s bridal shower it was fine, and we were catching up on the babies and that’s it really.’
Sam, who gave birth to son Edward in May, is also a mum to Paul, six, and Rosie, four, who she shares with her long-term partner, Paul Knightley.
Ferne is a mum to four-year-old Sunday from her relationship with Arthur Collins, who’s currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty of an acid attack in 2017.
In the same year, it was reported that Sam advised Ferne to end her romance with Arthur and their friendship suffered as a result of his imprisonment.
Ferne’s representatives refused to comment when approached by MailOnline, but a source close to Ferne suggested that the partial recording, which was publicly released may have been edited or taken out of context.
Sam joined the cast of TOWIE as an original in 2010 while Ferne became a show regular three years later.
Ferne is currently starring on C4 series Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
During Sunday night’s episode she confessed to being known as a ‘b****’ during her time on TOWIE – but insisted she was different away from the cameras.
She said: ‘I think on TOWIE I was probably seen as the b**** but in real life that character is not aligned with who I am.
‘I don’t like confrontation. I find it very difficult.’
Protective: Suzie dismissed recent claims that Sam and Ferne were ‘feuding’ and said the past few days have been very ‘hurtful’ and ‘upsetting’ (Suzie pictured with daughters Sam and Billie)