EXCLUSIVE: ‘I’ve never questioned any of my true friendships’: Billie Shepherd says she’s ‘lucky’ to have her close girl pals amid fallout with ex-BFF Ferne McCann over THOSE voice notes

Billie Shepherd has expressed her gratefulness for her close girl pals, in the aftermath of her fallout with former best friend Ferne McCann.

The former TOWIE star, 33, spoke exclusively to MailOnline about how her fame had impacted her relationships, explaining that she’s never doubted the intentions of her ‘true 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 close friends.’

‘I’ve never questioned any of my true friendships. If I’m honest I’ve never come across people that would use me, because I would never think like that.

‘I know some people in the public eye maybe would think like that but it’s not in my nature.’

Former friends: Billie Shepherd has expressed her gratefulness for her close girl pals, in the aftermath of her fallout with former best friend Ferne McCann

Grateful: The former TOWIE star, 33, spoke exclusively to MailOnline about how her fame had impacted her relationships, explaining that she’s never doubted the intentions of her ‘true friends’

She went on: ‘Obviously I’ve been filming in reality TV for such a long time but because of the nature of the show, people relate to us because we’re a normal family, we’re like everyone else going through the same struggles, it’s a rollercoaster. So it doesn’t faze you.’

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

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

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

One heard a woman’s voice label one of acid attacker Arthur Collins ‘ victims a ‘silly b****’ while another saw Ferne accused of body-shaming Sam.

She said during the episode: ‘I’m so ashamed and embarrassed and I know the words are very hurtful. It was from a time when I was really hurting, and in a very vulnerable and bad place,’ she explained while sat reflecting in her car.

‘They were from about five years ago when me and Sam had a fall out. It’s very hard for me to talk about this because I don’t want to bring up the past. Would I say those things now? Absolutely not, but those I absolutely apologised for.

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

‘But now because of this hate campaign and this person that has held onto them for five years, to weaponise them against me, I’ve lost my… I’ve lost some of my best friends.

‘I’ve lost my whole relationship with Billie, and that really hurts.

‘She has 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 if you’re angry, or if you’re hurt, you say things.’

In a confessional, she told viewers that she knows exactly who leaked the voice notes, but alleged they had been edited ‘to removed their context’.

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

‘Why? Because I think that someone is trying to destroy me and to inflict as much damage into my life as possible. There’s only one person that I know would want to inflict this amount of pain and damage onto my life. They destroyed me.’

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

As part of the campaign Disney has joined forces with the Institute of Imagination to create a Manifesto for Imaginative Play, following research revealing parents believe that 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 drawing on Disney’s 100-year legacy of timeless stories and characters – to inspire families to play together more

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 a 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 with them and play

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 with them and play.

‘Also they’ve done lots of research about how much it benefits children to play with them and being imaginative. Even just things like going out in the garden or kitchen, like them helping 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 feel it is just vital that you do take that time and play with the kids. ‘

Source: Read Full Article