It’s only been a matter of weeks since they went public, but Lauren Goodger and Charles Drury’s whirlwind romance is heating up. Former TOWIE star Lauren has even declared she’s ready to marry her toyboy builder, as he moves into her Essex pad.
After enjoying a cosy pizza night together, Lauren, 34, posted about kissing Charles “in his sleep” as she laid next to him, adding, “I love you so much”.
Proving he’s just as smitten, Charles, 23, shared his girlfriend’s message on his Instagram story, writing, “Waking up to things like this is exactly why I adore you.”
Lauren then reposted a raunchy quote that read, “In the middle of sex, he stopped to tell me that he loved me, then he slapped my ass and said, ‘back to business’. I’m going to marry him.”
It followed another Instagram story where Lauren was in the bath filming Charles looking at his phone. In addition, she uploaded a clip of her new man lying in bed as she stroked his ear. The following morning, she posted a video of Charles fetching her a morning coffee wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts. “Ain’t he a good boy with my coffee every morning,” she wrote.
Closer’s psychological therapist Emma Kenny – who has interviewed Lauren and given her therapy for a Closer feature in the past – says Lauren’s decision to share intimate details about her new relationship is a clear sign of her wanting to mark her territory.
Emma explains, “It’s about ownership, and making it clear that Charles belongs to her. When you fall in love, you can become love “drunk” – you want to share it with the whole world.
“For Lauren, it’s about him wanting to possess her and her body. She wants to be desired and feel like the most attractive, sexual person he’s ever found. It’s about being that 360º of a woman – someone who is a total vixen but also wife material.”
Check out: Lauren Goodger's ex-boyfriends – 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!"
Emma says it’s also a case of proving her relationship actually exists, and that Lauren is completely committed to her man. She continues, “For Lauren, and a lot of modern daters, social media can be used to brag about a relationship and also to cement one – to make it real. It’s showing the outside world that she’s committed and this is the man she wants to be with – it’s a pledge to him.”
Fans are hoping Lauren has finally found The One after a string of failed relationships. The reality star was left heartbroken in 2011 when she broke up with then-fiancé and TOWIE co-star Mark Wright, 33, after falling in love at the age of 15. Their bitter break-up played out in the press for years to come, both in public and behind closed doors, with Lauren branding her ex “toxic” in interviews.
Meanwhile, Mark – who went on to marry actress Michelle Keegan in 2015 – demanded Lauren stop bringing up their past when she opened up about her ex, saying, “Our sex lives kept us together for 12 years. We had amazing sex.” Mark then told her, “Enough is enough… I’m sure there are other ways to make money.”
Lauren moved on with another Essex boy, Jake McLean, in 2012, but it wasn’t meant to be after they split four years later. Her relationship with prison inmate Joey Morrison didn’t work out either, with the pair breaking up in 2017 after just two years together.
In both instances, the star was just as open when it came to revealing intimate sexual details about her private life. In 2015, she boasted to Closer that her sex life with Jake was “X-rated” and “too rude to print” during a joint interview, while Jake said, “Sex is all part of a healthy relationship”. The former couple even divulged their love of using food in the bedroom. “He comes in the room with little thongs and whipped cream,” Lauren said at the time.
As for Joey, Lauren revealed they hadn’t had sex because he was behind bars – but did announce on Loose Women that they’d enjoyed some “alone time” while he was on day release. She also said she couldn’t wait “to get married and have kids” with Joey after just six months of dating.
And in 2018, on the day Joey was released from prison, Lauren dropped a racy hint that she’d reunited with him on her birthday by posting a video inside her Mercedes playing Jeremih’s song Birthday Sex on full blast.
Emma believes Lauren is desperate to prove she’s over her exes – in particular, Mark.
She says, “She wants to show people it’s worked out for her and to silence all the trolls who constantly bring up Mark and make out she hasn’t moved on. It’s about wanting people to understand that she’s happy and an independent, free spirit who is allowed to date who she wants, unapologetically.”
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Lauren’s approach to relationships – and her tendency to plaster it all over social media – is also a reflection of her upbringing, says Emma. On Celebs Go Dating last year, the star admitted she was heartbroken and felt “rejected” when her parents split and she was forced to move homes.
Lauren revealed, “When I was four, my mum gave me to my dad but kept my older brother and sister… For me, that was heartbreaking. I’ve been rejected [as a child]. That’s why I stay in these long relationships when I shouldn’t. And however much they put me through, I will stay there for a long time.”
Emma fears that Lauren’s desire to have her “fairy tale”– in 2018, she told Closer she was “desperate to be a mum” – will see her mould herself into whatever her partner wants.
Emma explains, “She’s desperate to get married and have kids, so she will bend, shape and shift whatever is required to accommodate the person around her. I fear she’s lost her sense of self and hasn’t done the work to see what it’s really like to love and respect herself. I don’t think anyone can ever really be happy until they achieve that.”
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