Ferne McCann has shared a photo of her baby bump with a distinctive linea nigra mark, updating her fans six months after first announcing her pregnancy.
The 27-year-old former ‘TOWIE’ star, who is expecting her first child with her ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins, posed on a beach sun lounger, wearing a snakeskin bikini while on holiday in Cannes, France.
The TV personality and presenter captioned the photograph: “Bump and beach 👶🏼 🏖 Getting that linea nigra 😏 baby I am getting too excited to meet you. This pic makes me happy 😊💗💙 ”
Linea nigra (which literally means dark line) is the vertical line that some women develop during pregnancy, running up the mid line of the abdomen from the pubic bone to above the belly button.
Michelle Lyne from the Royal College of Midwives told HuffPostUK: “It is where the muscles meet in the abdomen and it is just pigmentation (skin colour change) which happens during pregnancy because of the hormones.
“It has little meaning, we just note it. It normally disappears after the pregnancy.”
McCann also asked her fans whether they think she is expecting a boy or a girl.
And everyone was quick to speculate, Amanda O’Neil said: “I think its a boy I had a tummy line when I was pregnant with my son but not my daughter.”
Jessica said: “Boy I think. So happy for you Ferne, you’ll be an amazing mummy.”
And Michelle Palmer said: “100% boy. It’s all belly.”
The father of McCann’s baby, her now ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins, was charged with 14 counts of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm following an acid attack at a Hackney nightclub.
At the time of her pregnancy annoucement, McCann’s spokesperson told OK! Online: “Ferne is grateful for the sympathetic way news of her pregnancy has been covered and people’s support and obviously her first concern is for her child’s health.”
In May, McCann went on ‘This Morning’ to talk about what had happened and said although her pregnancy was unexpected it has given her “strength” and her baby is now her priority.
The ‘TOWIE’ star fought back the tears during her first interview: “This isn’t how I imagined my first pregnancy, but its not about me,” McCann told Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.