Ferne McCann cut a sombre figure as she stepped out with her daughter Sunday, four, on Monday, after breaking her silence on the voice note scandal.
Several weeks after an anonymous Instagram account leaked a string of nasty voice notes alleging the reality star had called Sam Faiers a "fat c**t" and "narcissistic b**h", Ferne still looked noticeably downcast.
The reality star, 32, cut a casual figure in baggy beige trousers, a simple form-fitting long-sleeved shirt and hid behind giant sunglasses.
A previously blonde Ferne rocked a much darker hairdo, having indulged in a makeover after a tough few weeks.
The television personality appeared firmly focused on parenting duties as she carried her daughter Sunday's pink backpack while the little one enjoyed a scooter ride.
Ferne walked several steps behind her daughter, who was having a blast zooming through the streets.
The mother-daughter outing comes after she returned to social media for the first time since the voice note scandal began.
The former TOWIE star has been quiet on her online platforms for over two weeks after the shocking audio recordings were released - with the Instagram user claiming Ferne was behind messages calling best pal Sam a "fat c**t" and a "narcissistic b***h".
On Sunday, she took to her Instagram page to discuss her SAS: Who Dares Wins' journey after passing the gruelling training camp.
Calling it the "toughest thing I've ever done", the reality star wrote: "Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out life will always throw something else up, and as the DS say, it’s about how you deal with it."
"What a journey. Taking part in @sas_whodareswins was one of the most humbling and toughest things I’ve ever done. I can honestly say it’s changed my life," she wrote.
"The whole experience makes you look at every single part of yourself - your strengths, your weaknesses, your deepest fears. It taught me resilience, self acceptance and that every moment is an opportunity for change. It’s given me the confidence to finally confront difficulties in my life, deal with them and move forward.
"I went into the series to prove to myself I can be strong and I wanted to make Sunday proud. It was a major shock to the system! Every day I cried for Sunday, every day I wanted to leave, my body ached and I missed home so much. But I had my personal reasons why I needed to stick it out.
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"Yes I completed it and I passed but If SAS taught me anything, it taught me to take things step by step, push a little harder to the next morning, get through just to one more task.
"Moments will floor you, you will mess up but you’ve got to find that resilience & grit to pick yourself up and go again."
After the initial voice note was released by the anonymous account, two more followed, with one allegedly calling Sam a 'narcissistic b***h' and another taking aim at Billie over the name of her son being the same as Ferne's jailed ex Arthur Collins.
Ferne, Sam and Billie have not released statements about the alleged voice notes. However, Billie and Sam's mum Suzie Wells took to Instagram to slam the first 'vile' voice note after it was released.
Essex Police also previously confirmed they had been in contact with Ferne over the voice notes to investigate the anonymous Instagram account behind the alleged leaks, with their investigations remaining ongoing.
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