Billie Shepherd says she’s ‘lucky’ to have close girl pals amid fallout with Ferne McCann

Billie Shepherd has expressed her gratitude to her close friends in the wake of her falling out with former best friend Ferne McCann.

The former TOWIE star, 33, spoke exclusively to MailOnline about how her fame had affected her relationships, explaining that she has never doubted the intentions of her “real friends.”

She said, “My friendship group is the same group of girls I grew up with from school. I’m really lucky we’re all still such good friends.”

“I never doubted my true friendships. To be honest, I’ve never come across people who would use me because I would never think that way.

“I know some people in the public eye might think that way, but it’s not in my nature.”

Grateful: The former TOWIE star, 33, spoke exclusively to MailOnline about how her fame had affected her relationships, explaining that she never doubted her ‘real friends’ intentions

She continued, “Obviously I’ve been filming reality TV for so long, but because of the nature of the show, people bond with us because we’re a normal family, we’re just like anyone going through the same thing. struggles, it’s a rollercoaster. So you don’t care.’

Her comments come after the end of her longtime friendship with Ferne, which also dates back to their school days, after voice notes of Ferne making cruel comments about Billie’s sister Sam were leaked.

In the series premiere of her show ITVBe’s First Time Mum, Ferne, 32, confessed that she recorded the ‘hurtful’ messages because she was jealous of Sam at the time.

On the show, Ferne claimed to know who was behind the leak, to which an anonymous Instagram account, dubbed Lady Whistledown after the Bridgerton gossip, posted a series of voice messages last year from a woman they claimed was Ferne.

One of them heard the voice of a woman labeling one of acid attacker Arthur Collins’ victims a “silly bastard,” while another accused Ferne of shaming Sam.

She said during the episode, “I’m so embarrassed and embarrassed and I know the words are very hurtful. It was from a time when I was in real pain, and in a very vulnerable and bad place,” she explained as she sat in her car thinking.

“They were from about five years ago, when me and Sam got into a fight. It’s very hard for me to talk about this because I don’t want to talk about the past. Would I say those things now? Absolutely not, but the ones I have absolutely apologized for.

Difficult: Former TOWIE star Ferne, 32, couldn’t contain her emotions as she discussed her fallout with her best friend, whom she had known since her school years

“But now because of this hate campaign and this person holding them for five years to weaponize them against me, I’ve lost my… I’ve lost some of my best friends.

“I’ve lost my entire relationship with Billie, and it really hurts.

“She’s been my best friend for so many years, and that plays into where I don’t feel whole, I feel really lost.” Friendships are so important. And you say things where when you’re angry, or when you’re hurt, you say things.’

In a confessional, she told viewers she knows exactly who leaked the voice notes, but claimed they were edited “to remove their context.”

She said: “When I heard the voice notes I immediately remembered who I sent them to, but I believe they have since been edited to remove their context.

‘Why? Because I think someone is trying to destroy me and do as much damage to my life as possible. There is only one person I know would want to inflict so much pain and damage on my life. They destroyed me.’

Billie Shepherd headlines Disney’s The Wonder of Play campaign – a global initiative that builds on Disney’s 100-year legacy of timeless stories and characters – to inspire families to play more together.

As part of the campaign, Disney has joined forces with the Institute of Imagination to create a Manifesto for Imaginative Play, following research that shows parents believe play has a huge impact on children’s development.

Billie is a mother of three, having just given birth to her daughter Margot in December, while she also has daughter Nelly, eight, and a son Arthur, five.

Campaign: Billie Shepherd headlines Disney’s The Wonder of Play campaign – a global initiative that builds on Disney’s 100-year legacy of timeless stories and characters – to inspire families to play more together

Family: Billie is a mother of three, having just given birth to her daughter Margot in December, while she also has daughter Nelly, eight, and son Arthur, five

Playful: Speaking about the initiative, Billie explained, “What I loved about the Disney campaign is that it’s all about us as parents just taking the time to spend and play with them

Speaking of the initiative, Billie explained, “What I loved about the Disney campaign is that it’s all about us as parents just taking the time to spend and play with them.

“They also did a lot of research on the benefits of children playing with them and being imaginative. Even just things like going out in the yard or kitchen, like they help you make something.

Kids these days love watching their YouTube videos, which can be great for learning, but really all they want is your attention.

“It’s just little things, but it’s so important because we can get so wrapped up in work and everything else. I just think it’s essential that you take that time and play with the kids. ‘