When Lucy Mecklenburgh talks about her gorgeous nine-month-old baby boy, Roman, her eyes light up and a huge grin spreads across her face. “I love Roman so much and can’t wait to see him in the mornings,” she says. “He’s growing so fast and wriggling around. He’s a big healthy boy!”
But the experience has been very different to the one she and her fiancé, actor Ryan Thomas, envisaged. Less than three weeks after Roman was born in March, the country was plunged into lockdown and, like all new parents, Lucy and Ryan had to stay at home for the next few months, missing out on support from their family and friends.
But while the former TOWIE star admits there were challenges, she says the experience also gave them precious family time together.
“It was tough at times,” says Lucy, 29. “We had a lot less support than we would have done under normal circumstances, but we had daily FaceTime calls with family and I’d send pictures of Roman via WhatsApp.
“My little sister, Lydia, was amazing – she’d bake me cakes and fresh bread, and leave them on my doorstep. I really appreciated those little things.
“And we were there for all of Roman’s milestones. It’s not often that you don’t have other distractions, like work, so Ryan and I were together all the time.
“We became a really good team because there was no one to come round and hold the baby while we cooked or cleaned. It definitely brought us closer as a family.”
Lucy admits she did worry at first about Roman missing out on socialising with other babies during the lockdown. She says, “I did have those panics at the beginning that he couldn’t go to parties or baby groups, and I wondered if he’d develop quicker if he had that social interaction. But it helped to know that other mums felt the same.”
Lucy says the support from other new mums, including her former TOWIE co-star Lydia Bright, who had her daughter, Loretta, in February, has been crucial. “I have a lot of friends with babies, Lydia being one of them. We’ve had very different experiences, and in a way, it helps to know that not everyone’s the same.
“There are good days and bad days and support is key. My friends and I would WhatsApp each other if we were having a rubbish day and remind each other that tomorrow would be better. And it always was.”
First-time mum Lucy also relied on the online community to help her cope with tricky days. “Instagram has been amazing,” she says. “When I used to do night feeds, I’d post something at 3am and have chats with other mums, and we’d share funny stories to keep each other going.
“Sleep deprivation was the hardest bit, but then you have those amazing moments. There’s no other love like it.”
Check out: axed TOWIE stars - where are they now?
CLOSER - axed TOWIE cast members where are they now? In 2019
1 of 54Jake Hall, series 14 -17
Jake's time on TOWIE was mainly characterised by his on / off relationship with Chloe Lewis and his alleged cheating on her. He finally (sort of) confessed that he'd done the dirty with Megan McKenna in a very emosh scene on a park bench. Ah, precious memories.
2 of 54Jake Hall, 2019
Jake is now engaged to former Real Housewives of Cheshire star Missé Beqiri and they have a child together. Just before Christmas 2018, Jake was given a restraining order following a bust up between the pair.
3 of 54Pascal Craymer, series ten
Pascal Cramer walked into TOWIE series ten as the new squeeze of Mario Falcone. Sadly, Mario still had the hots for his former flame Lucy Mecklenburgh. Pascal found out when she watched the episode in which Mario admitted his feelings for Lucy. AWKWARD.
4 of 54Pascal Craymer, 2018
Pascal recently dated king of the jungle trouser snake Nick Knowles although they split before he entered I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! We do not believe that is a real guitar.
5 of 54Lauren Goodger, series one - six, 16 and 19
Remember when Lauren looked like this? She was a TOWIE OG and her on / off relationship with Mark Wright, including getting engaged in a car park, was the stuff of reality TV dreams.
6 of 54Lauren Goodger, 2019
Lauren is still much loved by the public although her she is still unlucky in love. In summer 2019, the reality TV queen kickstarted her hunt for love with the help of the agents on Celebs Go Dating.
7 of 54Maria Fowler, series 1 - 3
Maria, on the left with Joey Essex and Chloe Sims in 2011, was in the show from the get-go but her TV career was rocked when it was alleged she'd worked as an escort. She's since said she quit 'by mutual consent' after she refused an on-screen romance with Mick Norcross.
8 of 54Maria Fowler, 2018
Maria's now a proud mummy, engaged to be married and a self-proclaimed permanent make-up artist.
9 of 54Dan Osborne, series 8 - 14
Dan Osborne, pictured here with James Argent in 2013, managed seven series on the show. He was given the boot after a series of recordings, claiming to show Dan being verbally abusive towards his ex-girlfriend Megan Tomlin, came to light.
10 of 54Dan Osborne, 2018
Dan is still in the spotlight due to his relationship with ex-EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa. In May 2018 he described their marriage as "unhappy", but the couple have share daughters Ella and Mia together. Dan also has a son Teddy.
11 of 54Amber Dowding, series 18 - 21
Amber was part of a mega cull of seven Towie characters in January 2018. She claimed that she and her boyfriend Chris Clark were cut because they were happy. They've now split and Chris has reappeared on the show.
12 of 54Amber Dowding, 2019
If Amber's social media is anything to go by, she now appears to mostly be on holiday. Pretty goals from where we're sitting.
13 of 54Mike Hassini, series 16 - 18 and 21
Mike Hassini brought a hot bod to TOWIE and...not much else. He was cut in January 2018 due to a lack of storylines as he was loved-up outside the telly show.
14 of 54Mike Hassini, 2019
Mike is working as a PT, still loved-up, and still has a very hot bod. Blimey.
15 of 54Jack Rigden, series 20 - 21
Jack Rigden tried hard, so hard, to make an impression on Towie but his lack of on-screen romance and agg saw him get very little camera time. He was part of the big cull of January 2018.
16 of 54Jack Rigden, 2022
Jack now owns a Fish and Chip business called Let's Get Battered. He also has an Instagram page dedicated to his love of cooking and all things food called @rigdensrecipes.
17 of 54Jordan Brook, series 20 - 21
Jordan and Jack were brought in as friends of Megan McKenna. When she quit, they were left without any storylines.
18 of 54Jordan Brooks, 2019
Jordan has recently broken up with Sofia Filipe of Ex On The Beach, following a year-long romance.
19 of 54Ricky Rayment, series 4 - 14
We still think very fondly of Ricky. His rocky relationship with Jess Wright was a huge part of the show but when they finally broke up, well... Ricky left the show "by mutual agreement"with Towie bosses.
20 of 54Ricky Rayment, 2019
Ricky now seems to mainly go fishing.
21 of 54Tom Pearce, series 5 - 13
Remember when Tom Pearce dated Lauren Goodger following her split from Mark Wright? That was an odd time. He was quietly shown the back doorof the show in 2014.
22 of 54Tom Pearce, 2019
Honestly? We're not 100% sure what Tom is actually doing these days. He used to work in the City, and his holidays certainly look pretty epic, so maybe that.
23 of 54Grace Andrews, series 11 - 12
Grace almost had a romantic relationship with Lewis Bloor (shudder) and that was the beginning and end of her time on Towie.
24 of 54Grace Andrews, 2019
Grace is now involved in a semi-permanent make-up company. Those Towie stars must really hate cleanser.
25 of 54Fran Parman, series 11 - 16
Fran's original romantic interest was Tom Pearce but he stepped aside to allow Diags to woo her. Bad luck. Their relationship was turbulent but apparently not turbulent enough for show producers. Diags stayed, she went.
26 of 54Fran Parman, 2019
Fran and Diags split and she now hangs out in clothing that does not look very practical. The star still enjoys partying and she is often seen out with ex Love Island stars.
27 of 54Jasmin Walia, series 1 and 7-17
Jasmin managed eight series until she was given the boot. In 2015 her agent stated: "TOWIE is very storyline dependent and Jasmin did not have much going on that we could show on screen."Ouch. She went on to audition for The X Factor. It did not go well. She also took part in reality show Desi Rascals, that lasted for one series.
28 of 54Jasmin Walia, 2019
Jasmin is still being papped, which is more than can be said for some of the other ex-Towie stars.
29 of 54Harry Derbridge, series 1- 3 and 12
Harry Derbridge was a Towie original and still holds a very special place in our hearts. He made a welcome return to the show as Bobby Norris's love interest but, allegedly, cheated on him.
30 of 54Harry Derbridge, 2019
Harry now works it as a make-up artist. Is it us, or does he look like he might have had a little help with lip fillers?
31 of 54Billie Faiers, series 2 - 18
Billie followed in her sister's footsteps and joined the TOWIE cast in the second series. The beauty was never involved in any of the love stories on the show, yet was often locked in fiery rows.In 2016, the 29 year old left the reality show after five years to concentrate on her family and other business ventures.
32 of 54Billie Faiers, 2019
Billie and her new-hubbie Greg got hitched in March 2019 in a luxurious wedding in the Maldives.They became parents for the first time to Nelly in 2014, followed by their son Arthur born in March 2017. Billie is the director of high-street fashion brand Minnies Boutique and stars in the Mummy Diaries alongside her sister Sam.
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33 of 54Sam Faiers, series 1 - 11
Sam appeared in the first episode of The Only Way Is Essex and starred in eleven series of the show. Initially, she was involved with Mark Wright despite him being in an on/off relationship with Lauren Goodger In series 2, Sam started her romance with Joey Essex and they got engaged during series 8. In March 2014, Faiers announced that she would be taking a break from TOWIE after the end of its eleventh series, due to her recent Crohn's disease diagnosis.
34 of 54Sam Faiers, 2019
Sam now stars in her and Billie's spin-off show, The Mummy Diaries on ITVBe. The reality star has children Paul, 4, and Rosie, 2, with her boyfriend Paul Knightley. She runs her own clothing line, All Bits London and lives in Hertfordshire.
35 of 54Ferne McCann, series 9 - 17
Ferne McCann made her debut on series 9 of The Only Way Is Essex in 2013, while on holiday in Marbella. Ferne is best known for her on/off relationship with TOWIE star Charlie Sims (Chloe Sims brother - awks!)
36 of 54Ferne McCann, 2019
Ferne came runner up on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2015, losing out to new bestie Vicky Pattison.Since then she has landed several presenting roles and seemed loved up with her boyfriend Arthur Collins. However, things went sour when Arthur was arrested for throwing acid in a nightclub.She gave birth to baby Sunday in November 2017. Ferne now raises her child alone as a single parent, after calling time on her relationship with Arthur. She stars in her own show, Ferne McCann: First Time Mum
37 of 54James 'Arg' Argent, series 1–19 and 21–23
Arg shot to fame on the reality show in 2010 alongside then girlfriend Lydia Bright. After his first split from Lydia, his on-off romance with Gemma Collins first started. Between 2013 - 2015 Gemma dated newbie Rami, while Arg got back together with Lydia.In October 2014, Argent was suspended from The Only Way Is Essex after failing a drugs test. He returned to the series, but left in 2018.
38 of 54James 'Arg' Argent, 2019
Despite attempting to mantain his up-and-down body transformation, Arg is still in an on-off relationship with Gemma Collins. He occasionally stars in her new show, Diva Forever.
39 of 54Lydia Bright, series 1–7, 9, and 11–20
She shot to fame as part of the original cast of Towie in 2010. She became known for her on-off relationship with fellow cast member James 'Arg' Argent.Lydia and Args' relationship pre-dates that of even Towie as the pair have been on and off since they were teenagers, but after his infidelity and drug use, Lydia called it quits.
40 of 54Lydia Bright, 2019
In August, Lydia made the announcement that she's expecting a child. This will be Lydia's first child, which she conceived during her relationship with Lee Cronin. The two, however, are no longer together.
41 of 54Shelby Tribble, series 22-25
Shelby didn't have the easiest time on TOWIE; she was left heartbroken after Pete Wicks did the dirty on her, she fell out with Sam Mucklow and then had an epic fall out with BFFs Clelia Theodorou and Olivia Attwood.
42 of 54Shelby Tribble, 2019
After reuniting with Sam and falling out with her BFFs, Shelby decided to leave the show with her boyfriend. In May 2020, she announced she's pregnant with her first child.
43 of 54Sam Mucklow, series 23-25
Billi Mucklow's brother Sam joined TOWIE and despite his rocky friendship turned relationship with Shelby, they managed to make things work and in 2019 he revealed he was quitting the show to focus on his "fairytale" relationship.
44 of 54Sam Mucklow, 2019
Months after quitting TOWIE in favour of his relationship, Sam and his girlfriend announced they're expecting their first child together.
45 of 54Jon Clark, series 17-23
Following his stint on Love Island, Jon Clark joined the cast of TOWIE and had a row with Kate Wright, dated Lauren Pope and pretty much kicked off with the majority of the cast.
46 of 54Jon Clark, 2018
Jon was reportedly 'suspended' from the ITVBe show after he allegedly assaulted Diags. He has pretty much remained out of the spotlight since.
47 of 54Chris Clark, series 17-23
Chris Clark joined TOWIE and started dating Amber Dowding but they split and he went on to date Jesy Nelson. He then got back with Amber and they were both axed from the show.
48 of 54Chris Clark now
Following his split from Amber, Chris returned to the show but left again shortly after. He also fell out with BFF Myles Barnett. And judging by his Instagram account he appears to travel a lot - lucky.
49 of 54Myles Barnett, series 20-23
Myles joined the reality show because he was dating Courtney Green. However their relationship was very rocky and during one row he called her a "dirty dog" and a "sl-g". After he split from Courtney he then moved on with Kady McDermott however after one series together they were axed.
50 of 54Myles Barnett, 2019
Myles announced that he was leaving the ITVBe show to focus on his relationship and career before adding he would share his life on social media "instead of it being in the hands of tv editors who are strangers to me". However it appears that he's since split from Kady despite buying a house with her.
51 of 54Kady McDermott, series 23
Kady joined TOWIE during series 23 and caused quite a stir among Myles' ex-girlfriend Courtney Green and her pals. She only lasted one series but ended her stint with an explosive row with Amber Turner.
52 of 54Kady McDermott, 2020
Kady may have split from Myles Barnett since their time on TOWIE but she's an influencer, a house owner and a TikTok star.
53 of 54Mario Falcone, series 3-21 (on/off)
Mario first joined TOWIE during series 3 and went on to date and get engaged to Lucy Mecklenburgh. They then split and he was an on/off the show but decided to leave in 2018 because "it just wasn't for me anymore."
54 of 54Mario Falcone, 2019
Following his time on the show Mario and his partner Becky Miesner got engaged and welcomed their son Parker into the world.
The reality star says parenthood has changed her life completely and that every day is like a “military operation”, prepping meals, tidying up the house and making sure Roman has everything he needs.
“Some people say the baby slots into your life – I don’t know who those people are!” she says. “You have to be super organised, but you do just adapt and get on with it.
“I’ll get up, I’ll breastfeed Roman and then Ryan will get up and start making breakfast and tidying up.
“Some days we’re knackered and just don’t want to do it. But we’ve learned how to pick each other up on tough days, and I’ve learned that I can survive on an hour’s sleep for about two days!”
However, Lucy says she makes it a priority to carve out quality time with Ryan, 36, when Roman is asleep. She met the actor – who also has a 12-year-old daughter called Scarlett with his former Coronation Street co-star Tina O’Brien – when they were both contestants on Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls in 2017.
“I think it’s very important to make time for each other now Roman goes to bed at 7pm, otherwise it can start to feel like Groundhog Day,” she says. “On Fridays we make a conscious effort to cook a meal. I’ll put on a bit of make-up and we’ll eat together at the table and have a glass of wine, and then maybe watch a film. It makes a difference.”
The pair aren’t planning their wedding just yet, though. She says, “With everything going on in the world, it’s been the furthest thing from my mind, but it’s definitely something we want to do. Maybe at the end of next year we’ll make a plan.”
And what about a baby brother or sister for Roman?
“Oh God, ask me when he’s a little bit older!” she laughs. “I feel like I need a few more months to think on that one!”
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Lucy Mecklenburgh: ‘I don’t put pressure on myself to exercise’
Before Roman arrived, Lucy worked out three or four times a week, but she’s learned to take a more relaxed approach to her fitness goals.
“I thought I’d get back into training and eating really well as soon as I got the OK from the doctor, but it didn’t happen like that,” admits Lucy, who runs fitness platform RWL. “I was so sleep-deprived and it got to a point when I thought, ‘Luce, give yourself a break. You can get back into it when you’re ready.’”
She has since lost the 4st she gained during pregnancy, but insists it’s not been through dieting or extreme exercise.
“If I go for a walk or manage to fit in a little workout, that’s an achievement, but I don’t put pressure on myself. Being a mum is a workout in itself! I love Pilates and on my fitness platform there are lots of postnatal stretching routines, which help with back pain from breastfeeding.”
Lucy is working with Pampers to support the launch of their new Active Fit nappies range, which have been redesigned to better meet the needs of babies at different stages of their development. They’re available in size 3-6 and stocked in all major retailers.
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