She’s famed for being one of the original TOWIE girls, with her tumultuous on/off relationship with ex-fiancé Mark Wright reeling in viewers during the early series. And now Lauren Goodger is returning to the hit ITVBe reality show for its 33rd series.
Lauren, 37, tells Closer that this time will be different because she doesn’t have to deal with a cheating fiancé.
She says, “I am a mum, I am older and I don’t drink alcohol. I am sensible! I am different. I have a mature, wise head on. I have been through a hell of a lot. You’re seeing who I really am. I was 22 before. I was in a relationship – there were a lot of women having affairs with my fiancé.
“There was a lot of heartache and drama. Now I have no drama. I get on with everyone. I am more respected in the cast as well. I am the calm mother and big sister.”
Lauren was on the reality TV show at the very start, with her explosive break-ups and make-ups with Mark, 37 – who is now married to actress Michelle Keegan – dominating the storylines.
The pair got together when they were 15 years old and dated for more than a decade, but the romance was plagued with drama. Just weeks after Mark famously proposed to Lauren in a car park in series two, Lauren pushed him into a swimming pool during a row at a pool party in one of the show’s most iconic scenes. There were also infidelity rumours on both sides – with Lauren accusing Mark of cheating on her when she was 17, and also a row over Mark’s flirtations with co-star Sam Faiers.
And reflecting on that time, Lauren says, “When people watch it all back, they go, ‘Oh my God, you handled things amazingly and you come across as a nice and decent person.’ All I was, was a girl in love. I didn’t do anything wrong. I get messages now with people rewatching it.
“It was much more raw back then. I wouldn’t change any of it. I have changed and we have all grown up. I have got a different perspective now in life.”
Lauren continued to have a tumultuous love life after Mark. She had a four-year on/off relationship with Jake McClean – who tragically died in a car accident in Turkey in 2022 – between 2012 and 2016.
She then dated Joey Morrison while he was in prison for possession of a firearm, kidnap and blackmail. He was released in 2018 after serving nine years of a 16-year sentence. They split in 2017 and in 2020, Lauren met builder Charles Drury, father to her two-year-old daughter, Larose.
Tragically, their second daughter, Lorena, passed away shortly after being born in July 2022. Lauren and Charles split on the day of Lorena’s funeral following an alleged assault at Lauren’s Essex home. Last month, Charles, 25, was cleared of assault after Lauren dropped the charges. They continue to co-parent Larose.
Of that time, Lauren says, “I went through a hell of a lot. I lost who I was completely. I am still healing, I am still in the process. I am bringing Lauren back and I am reminded of who I was. And who I am.”
Since filming for TOWIE has resumed, Lauren has enjoyed being reunited with her pal Amy Childs.
“Amy has someone who is in her age group! She said to me the other day, ‘I am so glad I have got someone my age who can do scenes with me as a mum. It brings back old viewers who might not have watched it lately,” she explains.
One major difference this time round, however, is that Lauren – whose mum has been helping with childcare during filming – hasn’t touched alcohol in six months.
She explains, “I have tried it four or five times since [being pregnant with Larose] but it doesn’t agree with me. It makes me feel not good. With everything I have been through… I wish I could socialise with it, but I can’t do it.”
But the star – who has previously admitted to getting a nose job, boob job, Brazilian bum lift, liposuction, Botox and fillers – is loving getting glammed up, as it’s given her a much-needed confidence boost.
“Usually, I chuck on any clothes and don’t bother with make up. I don’t even look the same! I put loads of weight on. I was trying to be normal. I am normal but something like that [losing a baby] does change you,” she says.
“I am getting glam – nails and lashes, hair colour and skin boosters… I want to feel nice and for everyone to see me looking nice.”