Despite being famed for her toxic relationships and explosive tell-alls, Lauren Goodger has sworn that there will be no fireworks following her most recent split.
The reality star’s life was transformed in July when she welcomed daughter Larose, and despite splitting from boyfriend Charles Drury four months on, she’s putting their daughter before her own heartbreak.
Builder Charles, 24, announced their break-up on Instagram a fortnight ago, but insiders tell Closer they split weeks before, and that he had moved out of their family home.
However, he has been visiting daily to see Larose, who was sadly battling a severe infection in hospital at the time of his post.
Check out: the past loves of Lauren Goodger – where are they now?
Lauren Goodger boyfriends - where are they now SLIDER
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!"
And despite making a dig at Charles for publicly announcing their break-up while Larose, who she said was “the most important thing right now” was in hospital, a source tells Closer that Lauren is working hard on creating a happy and harmonious life for her daughter, saying, “She wants a drama-free, stress-free life for her and her child – nothing like her TOWIE days. Lauren has completely grown up and changed since becoming a mum and Larose’s wellbeing is all that matters to her.”
Last week, Lauren showed their closeness by liking and posting a heart to a selfie Charles uploaded to Instagram of him and Larose. And she replied to a fan saying, “We are [staying friends] not one of us has spoken [out about the other] and we see each other every day because of the baby. Last week was hard... but we always work through it.”
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The source continues, “She’s realised it’s not all about money and fame – so she won’t be speaking negatively about Charles as she doesn’t want Larose seeing any public slanging matches between her mum and dad when she grows up, or for her to feel any sort of animosity in her surroundings.
“There haven’t been arguments between them, they just want to concentrate on co-parenting as amicably as possible.”
Lauren’s hopes for her daughter are a far cry from her own disjointed upbringing, which saw her pulled between two households, with completely different sets of rules and environments, after her parents – Cheryl and Steve – separated when she was four.
At the time, Lauren’s mum, who’s since revealed she struggled with poor mental health, chose to keep Lauren’s older siblings with her, while Lauren went to live with her dad – a decision that has caused Lauren years of heartbreak, low self-esteem and abandonment issues.
In 2013, shortly after her split from ex-fiancé and former TOWIE star Mark Wright, Lauren sat down with Closer’s psychological therapist, Emma Kenny, and bravely spoke about the emotional turmoil she’s suffered as a result of her childhood.
Lauren said, “It [my childhood] was very confusing. I thought my mum didn’t care as I didn’t see her for weeks on end.
“I know my mum loved me but she had a funny way of showing it, especially as I didn’t live with her but my siblings did. I felt stuck in the middle.
“I had a lonely childhood but that’s why I can’t wait to be a mum. I know I’ll be great with kids and I want to create a lovely home. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
At 15, Lauren began dating Mark and despite their rocky romance being played out on screen, Lauren said at the time that his family welcomed her and had made her feel like she “belonged”. She recalled, “I felt I was part of the family and even though it didn’t work out, I’ll always be thankful for that.”
And despite the relationship turning toxic following their split in 2011, after which Mark – who married actress Michelle Keegan in 2015 – and Lauren spent years blaming each other and trading insults in interviews, Emma says that Lauren’s time with his family will have provided her with “a great experience” of what it’s like to live in a secure environment.
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Emma says, “Lauren has wanted to be a mum forever and she now has the resources to be able to give Larose a wonderful life. When someone has experienced childhood trauma like Lauren did, they will often struggle with low self-esteem and abandonment issues, but they’ll usually be determined to make sure their own children’s lives are different. Lauren will go all-out to make sure Larose is settled and doesn’t have the early life she had.
“I imagine she’ll be feeling sad that she’ll be doing it as a single mum, because she always wanted to get married, but I think motherhood has been the making of her and Larose is clearly well-loved. It’s admirable how Lauren is handling this split by putting her daughter’s needs before her own.
“She used to be the centre of drama in TOWIE, but this shows how much she has grown. I think Lauren will thrive as a single mum, and I think her strength and dignity will be an inspiration to many who are in a similar situation.”