Billie Shepherd has opened up about her "emotional" Christmas amid speculation she has fallen out with her sister, Sam Faiers. Taking to social media on Christmas Day, the mum-of-three posed for a family photo alongside businessman husband Greg Shepherd.
The five beamed for the camera, with an impressive Christmas tree erected behind them. But behind the warm smiles, there are raw emotions as the family are coming to terms with a family bereavement. Billie made reference to thier tough times as she wrote a caption alongside the image. She typed: "Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Its an emotional one for us this year, extremely grateful we have each other, enjoy being with your loved ones, celebrate and cherish every moment."
She rounded out her message, adding: "Lots of of love The Sheps." And the note was filled with a range of emojis including hearts, a Christmas tree, and stars. The update was met with messages of support as fans rallied around the family.
One typed in the comments section: "Merry Christmas Sheps. I hope you all have a wonderful day." And another wrote: "Merry Christmas The Sheps sending you all our love and thinking of you all today."
Back in September, Greg and his family were devastated by the death of his father, David. In a heartfelt statement at the time, he wrote: "I'm gutted and heartbroken to be writing this, but this time last week, my dad Dave passed away suddenly. He was 77, but still had so much more to give, and that's what makes this so hard.
"From the age of 4, you raised me as your own. You taught me how to be a father, and you made it look simple, you were always present, no matter what. You never missed a birthday, a celebration, or any important moment. You always had time for me and my sisters and grandkids.
"I hope I can be the kind of man you were, Dad, always smiling, always dancing, the most grateful man you could ever meet, and always there for us. All my friends had a relationship with you too, the parties in our bar will never be the same without you.
"I can only try to make you proud, and learn how to live with just 36 years of memories, love, and happiness. Until we meet again, our kid... I love you more than you'll ever know."
Meanwhile, recent reports have hinted at tensions between Billie and her younger sister, Sam. The duo have enjoyed plenty of success in the spotlight over the years after first finding fame on ITV's The Only Way Is Essex and then building on their fame with shows of their own; The Baby Diaries and The Mummy Diaries.
But the pair suffered a huge setback this year when their latest reality show, Sister Act, bombed and was cancelled after just one season. And fans have noticed the duo have not featured in their respective social media posts of late. Sam recently jetted to lapland - but was not joined by Billie or their mum, Sue, who usually tag along with her on trips abroad.
Sam revealed her latest show had been axed in a recent Q&A session with fans online. One asked her via Instagram: "Love watching you and Billie on Sister Act, will we see another series soon?" But the reality star warned: "Billie and I had the best time filming Sister Act last year. It was honestly such a special experience. We don't have any plans for another series right now as work is pretty full on for both of us."
Despite Sam's insistence that the decision was taken due to workload, it was reported that low rating figures were a factor in Sister Act getting the chop. An insider told a news outlet at the time: "Sam hadn't been on TV in a while and it doesn't look like viewers missed her.
"Viewing figures weren't what they hoped, and a lot of the show was based around the sisters selling products, which felt a bit like one long advert."
And reports this week have suggested Sam is spending Christmas feeling "lonely" after being iced out by her old social crowd. It has been suggested that she now only spends time with work colleagues and the original Essex set have stopped interacting with her - while fans note she appears distant from Billie.
A source told The Sun: "Her old friends in Essex have been talking about how it seems like the only people she spends time with now are the ones she works with - all of the people on her payroll - because nobody else is ever around."
They added: "There's her business partner, her PA, Billie and her Revive Collagen team and that's it. She seems to have now been permanently frozen out of her old life by the Essex wives." The Mirror has contacted a representative of Sam for comment.