It’s been an unimaginably painful month for grieving mum Lauren Goodger. And on top of the heartbreak of losing her newborn daughter, last week it shockingly emerged that the reality star had been left “unrecognisable” after suffering an alleged assault at her Essex home on the day of baby Lorena’s funeral.
Lauren’s boyfriend of two years, builder Charles Drury, 25 – father of Lorena and the couple’s eldest daughter, Larose, one – was reportedly arrested just hours after they laid their baby girl to rest on Wednesday.
He is currently on bail and the former TOWIE star, 35, is said to have been left “terrified” and “shaken” as she awaits the results of an X-ray to confirm whether she has suffered a fractured eye socket.
Meanwhile, brave Lauren – who described herself as “broken” following the loss of her daughter Lorena after she was born with two large knots in her umbilical cord, which was wrapped around her neck – is said to be focused on her one-year-old daughter Larose.
A source reveals, “Lauren says Larose is giving her the strength to carry on – she’s been incredibly brave considering everything that’s she’s been through over the last few weeks.
“It’s been the scariest time of her life. But Larose is her priority and she’s like a lioness around her.”
The news followed a heartbreaking few weeks for Lauren, who also lost her ex-boyfriend Jake McLean, when he died in a car crash in Turkey just five days before she lost her baby girl.
After briefly splitting with Charles when she discovered he’d cheated on her with Instagram model Amy Gilbert in November last year, the couple had been trying to work on their relationship as they prepared to welcome their second daughter.
Meanwhile, Lauren’s close friend, Lauryn Goodman, revealed the horrifying extent of her friend’s injuries via her Instagram Stories last week to show her support. She wrote, “Seen a few things as well and I would like to say there are never two sides to a story when my friends face looks how it does.
“She is unrecognisable. Brings me to tears every time I look at her. No amount of lies you tell will ever hide the truth now.”
In a separate post, she added, “You have a genuine soul and would never ever wish bad on anyone. I wish I could take the pain away.
“Larose is so lucky to have such a strong woman, mum.”
“I wish people knew YOU, you are SO funny, genuine, beautiful inside and out and have been through the roughest, darkest, ride in secret.”
Lauren’s sister Nicola also posted a picture of Larose on her account, adding, “This gorgeous little girl doesn’t even know how lucky she is to have such a strong amazing mum! As long as you have each other you’ll both be fine.”
Lauren, who dated Mark Wright for a decade until 2011, has also been inundated with messages of support from friends and former co-stars, including Georgia Kousoulou, Danielle Armstrong, Bobby Norris, Gemma Collins and Kerry Katona.
The source said, “There’s no going back and there’s no other option. She’s moving into a new house and having a fresh start. Her old apartment holds too many bad memories so this will definitely feel like an escape.
“She’s going to make sure that Larose is settled in the new house and has everything she needs. She’s been through so much agony in her life and come out of the other side, so she knows that she can do this. She’s doing it for Larose – she’s all she’s got.”