Sam Faiers cradles her sister Billie’s bump as feud with Ferne McCann comes to light 

Sam Faiers returns to the screen on Wednesday’s episode of The Family Diaries after her huge feud with boyfriend Ferne McCann came to light.

The first photos of the upcoming episode show the reality star affectionately rocking her sister Billie’s belly as she attends her clothing launch just weeks after the birth of her son Edward.

On Wednesday, MailOnline revealed that Ferne was accused of calling her boyfriend a “fat c***” in a leaked audio, with Sam’s mother Suzie Wells being so shocked by the recording, she’s been posting it on her Instagram ever since.

In the upcoming episode of The Family Diaries, Sam proudly hugs her sister Billie before rocking her belly as she awaits the birth of her third child with husband Greg Shepherd.

The family celebrated the unveiling of Billie’s latest clothing line, a much happier time before her feud with Ferne came to light

In the shocking audio, Ferne, 32, appears to call Sam a “fat c**t” and shame her body, describing her thighs as “so big.”

The voice message is said to have been sent by Ferne on WhatsApp to a friend in June, just a month after Sam gave birth to her third baby, Edward.

Sam’s mom Suzie was so shocked 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 being hurt and upset I can no longer sit back and say nothing.

The vile voice is circulating on social media, and now press articles are calling it a ‘feud’, which it isn’t.

“This is a complete shock to myself and my family. Ferne has always been a very good family friend to all of us for the past 20 years.

“It appears that this voice message was sent just weeks after Samantha gave birth in May. Since this voice note surfaced, more has been sent – very disturbingly annoying stuff.

‘We are just as shocked as you are! No one should ever talk about their friends like that!

“My girls are my absolute everything and I will do everything I can to protect them. I have nothing more to say about it.’

A source told MailOnline: “Of course Sam is incredibly hurt and upset by these comments, especially from someone she considered a close friend, she doesn’t understand why Ferne decided to speak out about her in such a derogatory way.”

Sam unfollowed Ferne and blocked Ferne on Instagram after hearing the post, which said in full: “Sam Faiers is a big cock, 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 over two decades.

In their TOWIE heyday, the pair would party in Essex, chase 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 arrival of their children, and Ferne is also a close friend of Sam’s sister Billie, 32, who attends her bachelorette parties, wedding and baby showers.

Ferne shared an emotional tribute to Sam on her 30th birthday in 2021 and declared her love for her former co-star on Instagram.

She said, ‘Wow, it was emotional looking back at all these photos. So many laughs, parties and special memories made. You, my love, 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 her best friend’s surprise performance was a moment she’ll never forget.

Sam and Ferne’s relationship has been ruined by several fights in the past, but they have always managed to make amends.

They got into a fight over their rival TV shows after Ferne First Time Mum landed following the success of Sam’s ITVBe series The Mummy Diaries.

Ferne representatives declined to comment when approached by MailOnline, but a source close to Ferne suggested the partial recording, which was released publicly, may have been edited or taken out of context.