After yet another wild night out, Lauren Goodger is consumed with sadness that her drinking and partying has stopped her from meeting the right man to settle down with
Stumbling out of a night club bleary-eyed at 2am, a puffy-faced Lauren Goodger looked worse for wear following a wild night twerking and downing tequila shots with her Celebs Go Dating co-stars earlier this month.
Choosing to drown her sorrows in the midst of her apparent relationship turmoil, insiders say theformer TOWIE star – who turns 33 this week – has hit rock bottom after she failed to meet her self-imposed deadline to have a baby in her early 30s, something she’s previously described as “the aim of life”.
Previously opening up to Closer while she was in a relationship with jailbird ex Joey Morrisson in 2016, she said, “I’ll have one next year. I want one right now. I hardly drink now or go out clubbing.
"All my life, I’ve been so selfish, but I know when I have a baby it won’t be all about me any more. I’ve reached 30 and it’s really made me think… I’ve always been desperate for a baby, but now I’m ready.”
Check out: Lauren Goodger boyfriends - where are they now?
Lauren Goodger boyfriends - where are they now?
1 of 8Mark Wright
Lauren dated childhood sweetheart Mark for 12 years - with nearly two years of their rocky romance aired on TOWIE. Lauren was so committed, she even had Mark's name tattooed on her bikini line. But in one dramatic episode in 2011, Lauren decided to have it lasered off whilst the couple were on a break - much to her suprise, Mark made a marriage proposal on the same day. The on/off pair split for good after just five months of being engaged.
2 of 8Mark Wright
Mark is now married to former Coronation Streetstar Michelle Keegan. The pair tied the knot in 2015, but have since juggled their marriage with work commitments whilst Michelle has travelled abroad for BBC drama Our Girl and Mark has taken on the showbiz world in America.
3 of 8Jake McLean
Lauren dated Jake McLean on and off from 2012 to 2016 - during which, Lauren had Jake's name tattooed on her wrist. But once the pair had parted ways for good, Lauren branded their romance 'toxic.' Following their split, Lauren said: "'I don't mean to sound horrible but I'm relieved it's over."
4 of 8Jake McLean
Following his time in the limelight with Lauren during their two year romance, Jake has now gone under the radar.
5 of 8Joey Morrison
Lauren raised eyebrows in September 2016 when she first started dating Joey, 33, while he was still in prison for a string of violent drugs-related charges. Defending their romance on Channel 5's In Therapy while they were still together, Lauren said, "This is the weirdest relationship ever, but it's exciting and I think that's why I like it. A bad boy never cheats, a bad boy is very loyal. They're strong family men, they've just got a bit of a naughty side to them." Opting for a tattoo hat-trick, Lauren also got Joey's name inked, once Jake's had been removed. The pair were together for two and a half years before they broke up in 2018.
6 of 8Joey Morrison
Joey was released from prison in September 2018, after serving half of his 16 year sentence. Enjoying his new-found freedom, he went onto social media to promote his luxurious lifestyle post-prison. Although Lauren and Joey have officially broken up, fans have spotted Joey featuring in Lauren's stories on Instagram on several occasions.
7 of 8Ricci Guarnaccio
Lauren and Ricci appeared on Celebrity Big Brother together, where he confessed to falling for her. But sadly for the Geordie lad, Lauren was adamant nothing would happen between them. Yet, despite the TOWIE star telling Vicky Pattison's ex that they would only ever "just be friends", the pair were inseparable at the post-eviction party. They were seen kissing and cuddling before heading back to their hotel together at 4am.
8 of 8Ricci Guarnaccio
After his time on Geordie Shore, Celebrity Big Brother and Ex on the Beach, Ricci has taken a step back from TV. Nowadays he uses his social media to plug teeth whitening brands and holidays. And it looks like TV isn't the only thing Ricci is steering clear of - in 2018, the Geordie star told Star magazine "I'm happily single. Women are evil. God put them on this earth to hurt us!"
But two years on, and with no hint of a romance after shooting down rumours of a fling with Love Island star Jack Fincham, 28, pals say Lauren is drinking and partying in a desperate bid to escape her heartache. Friends add the star is worried her wild nights out may have jeopardised her chances of meeting the right man to start a family with.
A source says, “Lauren thought she’d be married with kids by now, so to still be trawling the party scene – frequenting the same places with people ten years younger than her – while many of her friends are settling down and having babies is painful.
"She’s been having emotional breakdowns behind closed doors, telling pals how she fears she’ll never meet her dream man and admitting that when she drinks, it makes her forget the reality of her situation.”
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“But it’s a double-edged sword, because she’s not meeting the kind of man she wants to settle down with on these nights out. She wants a long-lasting relationship, but it’s more short-term flings right now, so it’s a vicious circle for her.
"She feels like she’s been wasting time doing the wrong thing for her long-term goal of being a mum and is worried nights out on the booze have ruined her hopes of settling down and having a baby.”
The unlucky-in-love star has had a turbulent love life, calling off her engagement to childhood sweetheart Mark Wright in 2011 following an on-off ten-year romance. In 2015, she ended her “toxic” four-year romance with Jake McLean, who was jailed for three-and-a-half years in 2008 for aggravated burglary.
The following year, she bravely revealed she had suffered a devastating miscarriage, having fallen pregnant with Jake’s baby during her stint on Dancing On Ice in 2013.
And last year, she opened up about her regret over wasting two years of her life dating Joey while he was still behind bars. Following their split amid claims he was sexting other women, the heartbroken star revealed how she’d sacrifice her fame for a husband and kids, confessing, “I’d give it all up for a family and security, but I’m so scared of falling in love again.”
During her recent appearance on Celebs Go Dating, Lauren referenced her drinking, saying, “I was so drunk! It’s nerve-wracking, it is really hard, so all I did was drink!” And on a later episode, viewers saw Lauren scold her teetotal date Dan after he revealed he didn’t drink, saying, “I can’t be around people that are sober.”
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Pals say they’ve urged Lauren – who appeared on C5’s In Therapy in 2017 in a bid to help her stop choosing the wrong kind of men – to step away from the party scene.
The source adds, “Friends have urged Lauren to get some professional help, insisting she won’t find the right type of man if she carries on in this way. Lauren’s still got her heart set on marriage and babies and knows that constant boozy nights out are sabotaging her chances of finding the man of her dreams and the future she wants.”
Read even more celeb news in this week's Closer magazine - out now.