Ferne McCann: who is First Time Mum star and boyfriend Lorri Haines, and when is new series on TV?

TV personality and mum-of-one Ferne McCann is set to return to our screens with an eighth series of First Time Mum.

The observational documentary, which has been on ITV since 2017, follows reality star McCann as she raises her daughter, Sunday.

But, just who is Ferne McCann and her boyfriend Lorri Haines, and what can fans expect from the new series of First Time Mum?

This is everything you need to know.

What is First Time Mum about?

Ferne McCann: First Time mum began as a one-off special on ITV Be in 2017 as McCann, now 31, prepared for the birth of her first child and then navigated her way through the first days and weeks of motherhood.

The show was popular with fans, and went on to become a regular series on ITV.

Series two, three and four each had four episodes, while series five and six had four episodes and series seven had eight episodes.

In the show, which is narrated by Rylan Clark, the cameras follow McCann as she tries to balance looking after her daughter, Sunday, as a single mum and continues to work in the public eye.

Sunday Skye McCann was born on 2 November 2017 and is now four years old.

First Time Mum has documented Sunday’s childhood to date, from birth to a young child, and shows milestones such as her first birthday and her first and last day at nursery.

The show has also shown important moments for McCann, including dates, new work commitments and her 30th birthday.

Who is Ferne McCann’s daughters’ dad, Arthur Collins?

Sunday’s father is Arthur Collins, who was arrested and charged in connection with a nightclub acid attack in London in April 2017.

Collins, now aged 29, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after carrying out the acid attack which took place over Easter weekend 2017 at the Mangle E8 nightclub, East London.

It saw 16 people suffer chemical burn injuries and three people left temporarily blinded.

McCann had been dating Collins, who was previously a businessman and scaffolder, on and off since 2016 before the attack and his subsequent jailing.

McCann was preparing to publicly announce her pregnancy with Collins when a police appeal revealed that they needed to question him over the attack.

The former The Only Way is Essex star, who had also just told OK! Magazine that the pair planned to move in together and get married, left him when his involvement in the attack was revealed.

Two days after he was arrested, McCann announced her pregnancy.

McCann is said to take Sunday to visit Collins in prison every few weeks.

Who is Ferne McCann dating now?

McCann is currently dating Lorri Haines, who is a 30-year-old Dubai-based entrepreneur and businessman.

He describes himself in his Instagram biography as a “full time geek, part time jeweller, wannabe entrepreneur”.

McCann confirmed the romance in January 2022 by posting an image on her Instagram page which shows him taking a selfie of the pair.

Haines, who goes by the nickname Lozza, commented on the photo and said “when you know, you know.”

Just a week later, in February 2022, she posted another photo of the pair alongside the caption “When you least expect it, you could meet someone who will completely change your life forever.”

Haines also has a young son, but little is known about him as it appears that he prefers to keep his son out of the public eye.

Haines will appear in the eighth series of Ferne McCann: First Time Mum.

When is the new series of First Time Mum on TV?

The eighth series of Ferne McCann: First Time Mum will begin on Wednesday 4 May at 9pm on ITVBe.

The first episode is also available to watch on ITV Hub now.

It is not known how many episodes will be in this series, but each one will air over consecutive weeks on ITVBe at the same time.

It is expected that each episode will also be available shortly after broadcast on ITV Hub.

Who is Ferne McCann?

Ferne Alice McCann first found fame on ITVBe reality series The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE), joining in 2013 and leaving in 2016.

In 2015, she took part in the15th series of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and finished in third place.

In early 2016, she became a regular showbiz reporter on ITV’s  This Morning, and in the same year she also began making regular appearances on the Channel 5 chat-show Up Late with Rylan hosted by Rylan Clark.

In February 2017 she appeared in Celebs Go Dating on E4, and later that same year she began filming for Ferne McCann: First Time Mum.