AN acid attack victim has blasted ITV’s Ferne McCann for branding her “ugly” in a shocking expletive-laden audio message.
Sophie Hall was scarred for life when Ferne’s then boyfriend threw acid into a London club in 2017.
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Ferne’s show First Time Mum has halted while ITV investigate the leaked messages. Sophie, 27, said: “I feel sick to my stomach.”
She has urged ITV to act after reality star Ferne branded her an “ugly f***ing c***”.
She asked: “Why should anyone who has been so cruel be given the platform to tear others down?”
Sophie hit out after voice messages, believed to be from Ferne, were leaked by an anonymous Instagram account.
They are said to have been recorded a year after Ferne’s then boyfriend Arthur Collins threw acid into a London club in 2017.
Sophie, then 21, had been celebrating a pal’s birthday and was scarred on her face and arms.
In the clip, a woman is heard discussing Sophie entering a pageant and wearing a dress made from headlines about the attack.
The woman says: “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
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“The silly b**** has made a dress, a papier-mâché dress out of the cuttings from the event.
“She will probably win it. I’m not going to lie. Only because the awards she entered are probably loving all this free press. So they will probably fix it, she will win. She is one ugly f***ing c***.”
Furious Sophie blames Ferne, star of ITVBE show First Time Mum. She blasted: “It has taken five years to rebuild my confidence after the attack. And now in just minutes all my hard work has been shattered by these malicious voice notes.
“ITV need to address what’s been said by Ferne. She needs to be held accountable and so do they.
“Why should anyone who has been so cruel and vicious with their words be given the platform to tear down others? To make them feel worthless and like they’re not good enough?
“I’m in a state of shock and disbelief.”
The mystery Instagram account — named Lady Whistledown after the gossip from TV’s Bridgerton — has said it will leak more messages in days.
In September it released some which appeared to show Ferne calling her former Towie co-star Sam Faiers a “fat c***”.
Sophie added: “ITV don’t just need to take action for my sake, but for other leaked voice notes.
“The ones which were body shaming and so unkind.
“Let’s not forget the slogan that ITV advocated after the tragic loss of Caroline Flack — ‘In a world where you can be anything, be kind’.
“One of their main public figures, Ferne, being so cruel, opening up individuals to trolling and online abuse just isn’t acceptable.”
ITV has halted filming of First Time Mum while it holds talks with Ferne.
Sophie learned of the notes on Wednesday when friends sent her a link to the account.
She said: “I was speechless when I first listened to them. It’s not OK on any level for her to be saying this about me. It’s disgusting.
“Ferne herself has said before that she struggles with her own appearance. So to be commenting on how someone else looks — regardless if it was never meant to be heard — is wrong.
“My friends and family are as horrified as I am. They have been incredibly supportive.
“I would ask Ferne, ‘What have I ever done to you? Why are you targeting me, when all I’ve been trying to do is make a positive out of a terrible and traumatic experience that I sincerely hope no one ever has to go through in their lifetime?’.
“I would like to ask Ferne how she would feel if the shoe was on the other foot. Being a public figure, she must have had her fair share of trolling and online abuse.
“Having gone through this herself, to even contemplate sending a message with such hurt really does question her character and credibility in all that she stands for.”
Sophie said she created the headline dress as a requirement of the Miss England competition.
She added: “One of the tasks was to make a recycled outfit that had a powerful personal meaning.
“That day did have a huge impact to my life and I wasn’t going to let that define me.”
When asked how she felt about Ferne mocking the dress, Sophie said: “It’s so hurtful that somebody that I don’t even know can comment and verbally attack me about a situation that was only ever meant to be seen in a positive light.
“My aim was to get across the point to the younger generation that beauty comes from within.”
Filming for Ferne’s First Time Mum was due in the coming weeks.
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But telly insiders said talks were now taking place about when the production would start.
A source said: “Ferne’s reputation is in tatters. The next series is up in the air.
“Conversations are ongoing about when the show may resume filming. ITV have held talks with Ferne about the situation and they will continue to speak with her to see where they go from here.
“They have worked with her for over a decade and want to see how this plays out.”
Ferne, who has a young daughter with Collins, has not been seen since the voice notes were leaked.
She lives in Romford, Essex, with her fiancé, businessman Lorri Haines, and her daughter.
A close friend said: “Ferne is devastated by the content of these voice messages. It’s part of an ongoing hate campaign. This most recent one has been spliced together from different WhatsApp recordings.
“The person releasing the private voice recordings is trying to destroy her. It isn’t just hurting Ferne, it’s hurting the people being talked about. Ferne’s very aware of that.
“The truth is that Ferne has huge sympathy with Arthur’s victims and what they’ve been through. She admires their courage.
‘The police are continuing their investigation into the leaker.”
In September Ferne called cops to investigate leaked voice notes which saw her attacking ex-pal Sam.
The messages saw Ferne apparently telling a friend: “Sam Faiers is a fat c***. Her thighs are so big and I looked really skinny today.”
Collins, who is serving 20 years, has had no contact with Ferne since his attack.
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Following the attack, Ferne reached out to Collins’ victims.
A statement said: “No one should ever be faced with violence on a night out. Ferne is focused on being the best mother she can be. She long ago accepted that she would be doing this alone.”
20 YEARS IN JAIL OVER VILE CLUB AMBUSH
By Eleanor Sharples
FERNE McCann’s ex Arthur Collins was jailed for 20 years in 2017 for an acid attack in an east London nightclub that left 16 people with serious burns.
Collins, 30, entered Mangle E8 in Dalston on April 17 and threw the acid after getting into a fight with a group of men.
Collins went on the run and a man hunt was launched by cops.
A week later, Collins was tasered by a squad of 30 armed cops as they raided a vacant house in Highham Ferrers, Northants - in his underpants.
He was wrestled to the ground by police after leaping from the upstairs window of the house and broke bones in his feet.
Collins claimed in court that he thought the acid was a date rape drug.
On being sentenced Judge Noel Lucas QC said Collins, then 25, was “an accomplished and calculating liar” who had failed to demonstrate “the slightest remorse”.
He described it as a “despicable act”.
Three women, including Sophie Hall, stood in court to give their accounts of their injuries.
He was convicted in November 2017 of five counts of grievous bodily harm and nine of actual bodily harm.
Ferne was pregnant with their daughter Sunday, five, at the time Collins carried out the attack.
In 2018 the Court of Appeal threw out an attempt to cut his jail time.
Lord Justice Simon said: “These were exceptionally serious offences, and the severe sentence was fully justified.”
Collins was serving a six-month sentence - suspended for a year - after punching a man outside a nightclub in Greenwich.
The attack left the victim needing 20 stitches.
He also has a number of other convictions dating to 2008 including criminal damage.
Collins is set to marry his new lover inside category A prison HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes.
He met business woman Annie Bull through friends and proposed to her during a prison visit in July.
