She’s long been open about her desire to become a mum, and last week Lauren Goodger announced the happy news that she was expecting a baby with her boyfriend of four months, Charles Drury.
Welling up on Instagram, Lauren, 34, told followers, “It’s now out there, it’s official, me and Charlie are having a baby, it’s a beautiful gift, we’re so happy and excited and I’m so happy to share it with you all.”
Celeb pals sent in their congratulations on social media, with former TOWIE co-star Gemma Collins writing, “So happy for you”, and Ferne McCann adding, “Congratulations darling”.
Lauren’s exciting news comes after previously speaking out about her desire for a loving family life, partly as a result of a difficult upbringing. She revealed that she felt “abandoned” as a child, after her mum left her with her dad at just four years old because she couldn’t cope – but kept her older brother and sister.
The reality star – who heartbreakingly revealed in September that she hadn’t spoken to her mum, dad or sisters during lockdown – admitted last week that she hadn’t told her dad about her pregnancy, saying, “The more effort I make, the more I feel like I’m being set up to fail.”
She’s also had a tough time in her love life. Viewers watched her turbulent relationship with her boyfriend of 10 years, Mark Wright, play out on TOWIE in 2011, and have followed her subsequent relationships over the years, which include failed romances with Jake McLean and ex-jailbird Joey Morrison.
When asked about the link between her childhood and her relationship problems, Lauren said on Celebs Go Dating, “I can only think it’s because I’ve been rejected.”
Check out: TOWIE kids - the next generation of Essex stars
TOWIE babies slider
1 of 20Amy Childs
The first of the really big names to come from TOWIE, Amy quit the show in 2011 and welcomed her first daughter, Polly, in 2017. She also has a son from a different relationship who she's kept out of the limelight, but accidentally revealed his name was Ritchie in an interview.
2 of 20Georgina Cleverly
Georgina Cleverley – née Dorset – was only on the show for two series and went on to have a two sons with her footballer hubby Tom, who she keeps off social media.
3 of 20Sam Faiers
Sam is mum to daughter Rosie and a son called Paul, who she named after her husband, also called Paul. "We always wanted him to be named Paul after his dad," she said."It's traditional and we didn't have any other names on the list, so he's Paul, and his middle name is Tony after Paul's brother, his Uncle Tony."She's made a household name for herself and her family with her hit reality show, The Mummy Diaries.
4 of 20Billy Faiers
Sam's lookalike big sister Billie is also a mum to two kids of her own, sharing daughter Nelly (five) and son Arthur (three) with her husband Greg Shepherd.
5 of 20Kirk Norcross
Despite being TOWIE's original bad boy, Kirk has overhauled his image in the last few years to be the ultimate family man. He's dad to son Harry, three, and daughter Violett, four - although Violett doesn't feature on his Instagram after her mum made it clear she didn't want her in the public eye.
6 of 20Maria Fowler
Maria is mum to four-year-old Evie who she shares with husband Kelvin Batey, and earlier this year revealed on Instagram that they were preparing to welcome baby number two.Back in 2018, Maria revealed she had suffered a miscarriage, writing on Instagram, "I feel silly even referring to it as a baby as we were really early in the pregnancy and had not yet had a scan but I did grieve and I did feel like I had lost something very special."I feel it is such a cruel twist of fate to get such happy news and then have it taken away. Just like that. No explanation."
7 of 20Chloe Sims
Chloe was already a mum when she joined the cast of TOWIE back in 2011. Her daughter Madison is now 15, and largely stays out of the public eye, although last year Chloe finally revealed Madison's dad was still a close pal, posting a picture to Instagram and writing, "So lots of people have always been interested in who is Maddie's dad, well, here he is..."I was 18, he was 24... all you nosy f--ckers who wanted to know, here he is!"
8 of 20Dan Osborne
TOWIE lothario Dan Osborne already had a son, Teddy, with ex Megan Tomlin when he joined TOWIE. After he was booted in 2015, Dan married EastEnders star Jaqueline Jossa and they have two daughters together, Mia and Ella.
9 of 20Lucy Mecklenburgh
Lucy Mecklenburgh quit TOWIE all the way back in 2013 and since then has had success as an influencer and fitness guru. In 2020 she welcomed her first child with her fiancé, Corrie actor Ryan Thomas, a son they named Roman.
10 of 20Lydia Bright
How cute is this? Long-term best pals Lucy and Lydia were both pregnant at the same time and gave birth just weeks apart. Lydia is going it alone as a single mother to baby Loretta, after splitting with Loretta's dad Lee Cronin during her pregnancy.
11 of 20Ferne McCann
One of TOWIE's most high profile mums, Ferne McCann welcomed her daughter Sunday in 2017following a difficult few months. Shortly before announcing her pregnancy Ferne's boyfriend Arthur Collins was arrested and charged with an acid attack in an East London club that left two victims blind. And weeks before Sunday was born he was sentenced to 20 years.
12 of 20Mario Falcone
TOWIE OG Mario left the show after 15 series, and in 2018 welcomed a son, Parker Jax,with his fiancée Becky Meisner.
13 of 20Chloe Lewis
Chloe quit the show in 2019 after revealing she'd found herself a new relationship and it wasn't long before she and new man Danny Flasher announced they were expecting. They welcomed a healthy baby boy, Beau Lewis, in October 2019.
14 of 20Jake Hall
Meanwhile, Chloe's TOWIE boyfriend Jake Hall went on to have a family of his own. Despite an at times messy relationshipwith Real Housewives of Cheshire's Misse Beqiri, the couple welcomed a daughter in 2018, who they named River.
15 of 20Billi Mucklow
Billi Mucklow, who left TOWIE in 2013, must certainly have her hands full with her huge blended family with footballer fiancé Andy Carroll. The couple are raising Andy's kids from a previous relationship, Lucas and Emilie, and have two of their own together, Arlo and Wolf. In early 2020 they announced they were expecting AGAIN. Phew.
16 of 20Danielle Armstrong
Danielle Armstrong welcomed her first child with long-term pal Tom Edney in May 2020 after being "pregnant forever" and begging fans for tips on inducing labour. She took to Instagram to update followers on the birth, writing, "My world Is complete ud83dudc76ud83cudffcud83dudc95 Orla Mae Edney Born May 26th at 16:30pm, weighing a healthy 8Ibs11".
17 of 20Lauren Pope
Lauren quit TOWIE in 2019 after a staggering nine years on the show. In July 2020, she and her boyfriend welcome a little girl called Raine Anais Keterman.
18 of 20Sam Mucklow and Shelby Tribble
After a whopping three-day labour, Sam and Shelby welcomed their first child, a boy, in November 2020. "Shelby and our beautiful baby boy are both well and healthy," he wrote on Instagram. "Shelby didn't have a straightforward labour so she has been in hospital for five days. She has been an absolute soldier."
19 of 20Georgia Kousoulou and Tommy Mallet
TOWIE's power couple Georgia Kousoulou and Tommy Mallet welcomed their baby boy Brody on 5th May, 2021. They even reveal that "Mallet" is not actually Tommy's surname, when they introduced baby as Brody Fordham.
20 of 20Lauren Goodger
After years of dreaming of being a mum, Lauren finally welcomed her first child, a daughter called Larose, In July 2021. Sadly when Larose was just a couple of months old, Lauren split from the baby's dad Charles Drury, but is smashing being a single mum.
Now psychological therapist Emma Kenny – who had a face-to-face therapy session with Lauren as part of Closer’s regular On The Couch series – says this positive moment in her life could help cure the heartache she’s suffered in the past.
Emma says, “It’s great news that Lauren is pregnant. I know from when I’ve met her that it’s always been a life goal of hers to be a mum. She has so much love to give and she’ll be a brilliant parent. She’s admitted herself in the past that her upbringing has created her own abandonment issues, which she’s said have affected her relationships and her sense of self-worth of the years.
“So I think starting her own family, with a baby to love, will be positive for her. She can manifest that deep sense of love and belonging in her new role as a mother. Having a baby won’t immediately fix any deep-rooted issues, but it will go some way to healing the pain of years of secret heartache. It can bring a new sense of purpose, fulfilment and joy to your life, and may help her create the family life she’s always dreamed of.”
Lauren has always been excited about the prospect of becoming a mum. Just two months into dating 23-year-old builder Charles – who was linked to Jordan in 2019 – she told reality star pal Marnie Simpson on her podcast, “I can’t wait. I’m the most maternal person. I love kids and babies.”
But her journey to motherhood hasn’t been easy. In 2011, she revealed she had an abortion at the age of 20 after deciding she and then-boyfriend Mark weren’t ready to become parents; and in 2013, she tragically suffered a miscarriage during her relationship with Jake while taking part on Dancing On Ice.
She’s also battled mental health issues over the years, including anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia. At the start of last year, she opened up about having a spate of panic attacks after coming off anti-depressants, and in August she revealed she’d gone back into therapy to help with anxiety.
But Lauren now seems happier than ever since dating Charles, and said earlier this month, “We’re very comfortable with each other. We’re settled at home and we’re having a baby – it’s gone 100 miles an hour! But we’re a family now.” But Emma says that while it’s a really exciting time, Lauren should be prepared for the challenges ahead, especially after a whirlwind romance – but that with the right support system, she’ll come out stronger.
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She says, “She and Charles haven’t been together long, so it’s important they use this time to learn as much about each other as possible and prepare to become a team once the baby arrives.
“Obviously a baby will change the dynamics of a relationship – while it’s magical, it will also bring added stress. Pregnancy is physically and emotionally exhausting – your hormones are everywhere and it means that your mental health can take a hit.
“So she needs friends and family there to support her, should anything happen between her and Charles. I hope she comes into her own and that it all works out for her.”
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