She’s been open in the past about struggling with life in the public eye, her difficult childhood, and body image issues – and Lauren Goodger now says she’s turned to therapy in a bid to help combat her anxiety and “make changes” to her life.
The reality star – who rose to fame on TOWIE ten years ago – explained last week she’d decided to undergo therapy.
Lauren, 33, who was pictured with a mystery man in the same week, told her Instagram followers, “I have just had my first therapy session. I’ve always been this girl on Instagram that shows a different side to actually who Lauren is… But there’s so much more to me than what is written, the Instagram pictures... And I think that right now, for me, having these sessions and making it public and sharing it is going to be nothing but a good thing.”
CHECK OUT Lauren Goodger's relationship timeline
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!"
WATCH EXCLUSIVE: Lauren Goodger reveals her new bootylicious body to Closer
Essex-born Lauren – whose rocky romances include a broken engagement with her TOWIE co-star Mark Wright and dating former jailbirds Jake McLean and Joey Morrisson – has previously opened up about her difficult home life growing up, revealing in her autobiography that, when her parents split, her mother gave her to her dad after suffering from depression.
And on Celebs Go Dating last year, the reality star said that this had left an impact on her, saying, “When I was four my mum gave me to my dad but kept my older brother and sister. For me, that was heartbreaking. I can only think I’ve been rejected.”
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And she explained in her Instagram story that she hoped sessions with therapist Deshara Pariag will help her deal with difficult emotions and anxiety.
She says, “Nothing’s happened, nothing’s bad. For my own sanity and my image, I just want help with things that I might have struggled with. Obviously it’s all in my book, my upbringing. I have a lack of support. It’s not all bad – there’s a lot of things I’m grateful for. I’m successful, I’m independent, I’m a good person, I’ve got a lot to give. But my big thing, as you all know, is that I suffer so bad with anxiety and that is why I need help figuring out a few things… There’s a build-up of things that I deal with.”
Read more in this week's Closer mag, out now