Ferne McCann says she sent ‘manipulated’ voice note about acid attack victim ‘out of fear’

Ferne McCann has apologised to acid attack victim Sophie Hall after she called her “ugly” in leaked voice notes.

The former The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) star confirmed she was the voice in the shocking audio clips. But in a statement on her Instagram on Tuesday, she claimed that they had been “manipulated, edited and taken out of context”.

The ITV star spoke out after an anonymous Instagram account leaked voice notes allegedly sent by her. In these, a woman’s voice labels one of Arthur’s victims a “silly b****”.

It was claimed they were referring to Hall, who reached the final of a Miss England contest 15 months after the attack by McCann’s ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins - and bared her scars.

Collins, who is the father of McCann’s daughter, Sunday, four, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. He was found guilty of carrying out an acid attack at Mangle E8 nightclub in Dalston, east London, in 2017. This injured 22 people.

McCann’s Instagram statement said she recorded things that were “untrue and didn’t believe” to protect herself and her family because she feared “serious harm and in the face of significant threats”.

Her full post said: “I am aware that people will have a number of questions about the voice messages being put into the public domain and purportedly sent by me.

“I feel I have no choice but to address these (to the extent that I can as there are restrictions on me which I explain below).

“Most importantly I want to apologise to all the victims of Arthur Collins’s abhorrent actions in 2017 that they have to relive that night and the pain that followed because this matter is again in the public domain.

“In particular I want to apologise to Sophie Hall. I do not believe her to be ugly or stupid. She has been brave beyond belief.

“Arthur Collins’s crimes created genuine victims so I am not trying to portray myself as one. I am unable to say much because there are important and significant legal proceedings that prevent me from setting the record straight at this stage.

“What I can say is that the voice messages that are being released are manipulated; edited and taken entirely out of context.

“Even so, I will have said things that are untrue and I did not believe – but I did so to protect my family and myself from serious harm and in the face of significant threats.”