TOWIE fans couldn’t contain their excitement last week when original cast member and all-time legend Lauren Goodger, 37, confirmed the news of her return on social media with a series of behind-the-scenes shots.
However, two people who are far from thrilled about Lauren’s return to the limelight – 12 years after her 2012 departure – are her ex-fiancé Mark Wright, 37, and his wife, Michelle Keegan, 36.
A source tells Closer, “Mark and Michelle are both incredibly anxious about what Lauren is going to say now she’s returning to TOWIE. Mark’s petrified of Lauren bringing up history and unearthing old feuds.
“Having already endured thinly-veiled comments and digs over the years, they’re petrified Lauren is going to use her new platform to continue twisting the knife and trying to get one up on them in any way she can.”
And viewers of the original TOWIE will be fully aware that there is a lot of history to be unearthed when it comes to Lauren and Mark’s toxic 10-year romance.
Their time on the show, which they joined together when it first aired back in 2011, was plagued with blowout rows, teary break-ups and romantic make-ups – which included Mark’s emotional proposal in 2012.
But while the two shared some emotional scenes together, with Lauren later revealing that she had also terminated a pregnancy while she was with Mark, the Essex “playboy” also confessed to cheating on her several times.
Mark also embarked on a relationship with co-star Lucy Mecklenburgh, which saw Lauren infamously push him in a swimming pool and ask Lucy if she “had any ID” when they clashed during a scene at The Sugar Hut.
However, after leaving the show, Mark worked hard to move away from his reality image, going on to date and marry actress Michelle in 2015 before landing his role presenting US entertainment show Extra in LA from 2017 to 2020.
And now the source says radio DJ Mark fears that all his hard work could be thrown back at him if Lauren decides to rehash his past mistakes.
They add, “Mark’s told pals that Lauren has ‘no filter’ and no matter how much she insists she’s moved on, he fears she’s still harbouring resentment and pain from their relationship.
“Mark admits he cringes at the person he was back then – he’s worked hard to carve out a new persona and his career as a successful presenter. The thought of Lauren re-hashing who he was 13 years ago and potentially damaging the image he’s worked so hard to rebuild is causing him a lot of stress.”
And Lauren’s return could not have come at a worse time for Michelle following the success of her most recent Netflix series, Fool Me Once – which has catapulted her to worldwide stardom and reportedly made her one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood right now.
The source adds, “Michelle’s respected as one of the UK’s finest TV actresses – with her career going from strength to strength – and now they are both worried that Lauren could turn them into a mockery.”
But away from her TV dramas in the past, Lauren has battled with a great deal of emotional trauma over the past few years.
Just weeks after the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend Jake McLean in a car crash in 2022, Lauren – who’s mum to two-year-old Larose – tragically lost her newborn daughter Lorena just hours after her birth due to complications.
And last month it was revealed how Lauren had dropped the charges against her ex-boyfriend Charles Drury, who was charged with assaulting her on the day of their daughter’s funeral.
However, the source says that hasn’t stopped Mark and Michelle fearing that every word she says could hit headlines in the coming weeks.
They add, “While Lauren’s endured a lot since her time on TOWIE, she’s most famous for her relationship with Mark and every time she’s said something in public since then, it’s been splashed across the headlines, which understandably has an effect on Mark and Michelle’s relationship.”