The former TOWIE star opens up about her brother Mark's return to the UK with wife Michelle - and the pressure on the couple to have children
Her mum Carol Wright has been desperate to be a grandmother since son Mark Wright and daughter-in-law Michelle Keegan got married four years ago. And speaking to Closer, daughter Jess Wright admits that her mum is over the moon after Mark’s recent return to the UK to be with his wife, following a two-year stint living in LA as a presenter on Extra TV.
“We’re all really happy to have Mark home,” says Jess, 33. “We missed him when he was away. My mum is over the moon about it.
“She can’t wait for grandchildren. She’s got four children, and Natalya [Jess’ younger sister] is still only 18, so yeah, my parents are definitely waiting for that time to happen. My mum will be an incredible grandmother when the time comes.”
CHECK OUT axed TOWIE stars - where are they now?
CLOSER axed TOWIE stars - where are they now Harry head
1 of 26Harry 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.
2 of 26Harry Derbridge, 2018
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?
3 of 26Maria 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.
4 of 26Maria Fowler, 2018
Maria's now a proud mummy, engaged to be married and a self-proclaimed permanent make-up artist.
5 of 26Dan 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.
6 of 26Dan 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".
7 of 26Amber 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.
8 of 26Amber Dowding, 2018
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.
9 of 26Mike 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.
10 of 26Mike Hassini, 2018
Mike is working as a PT, still loved-up, and still has a very hot bod. He has subsequently appeared briefly in gym scenes on the show.
11 of 26Jack 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.
12 of 26Jack Rigden, 2018
Jack's Instagram bio describes him as an "absolute geezer". Which is nice.
13 of 26Jordan Brook, series 20 - 21
Jordan and Jack were brought in as friends of Megan McKenna. When she quit, they were left without any storylines.
14 of 26Jordan Brooks, 2018
Jordan is now dating Sofia Filipe of Ex On The Beach fame. Aww.
15 of 26Ricky 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.
16 of 26Ricky Rayment, 2018
Ricky now seems to mainly go fishing.
17 of 26Tom 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.
18 of 26Tom Pearce, 2018
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.
19 of 26Grace 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.
20 of 26Grace Andrews, 2018
Grace is now involved in a semi-permanent make-up company. Those Towie stars must really hate cleanser.
21 of 26Fran 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.
22 of 26Fran Parman, 2018
Fran and Diags split and she now hangs out in clothing that does not look very practical.
23 of 26Jasmin 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.
24 of 26Jasmin Walia, 2018
Jasmin is still being papped, which is more than can be said for some of the other ex-Towie stars.
25 of 26Jake Hall, series 14 - 17
Jake's time of TOWIE was mainly characterised by him being mean to our sweet Essex princess Chloe Lewis including many accusations of infidelity, plus rumours he'd slept with Megan McKenna.
26 of 26Jake Hall, 2018
Jake subsequently became engaged to former Real Housewives of Cheshire star Misse Beqiri. They have a baby together but in December 2018Jake was given a restraining order following a bust up with his fiancée.
Speculation has been intense around Mark, 32, and Michelle’s marriage – not least because their relationship is often long-distance. Although Mark is now based in the UK again, Michelle, 31, will soon be jetting off to South Africa to reprise filming army drama Our Girl. But Jess insists she’s in full support of the couple and considers Michelle her family.
She says, “The speculation is part and parcel of the industry we’re in. I do get that people want to know the ins and outs of things. Mark and Michelle are my family and I love them, so of course I understand that fans want to know what’s happening with them.”
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Michelle will be away filming for four months, but Jess isn’t sure she’ll be able to fly out and visit her sister-in-law. “I don’t know if I’ll visit her,” says Jessica. “I have my own holiday plans. I’m going to Ibiza with some of the girls this summer and Dubai with family.”
Since finding fame on TOWIE in 2010, Jess has been romantically linked to co-stars Ricky Rayment and Dan Edgar.
She split from Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice last April, following a brief romance. The pair were caught on camera months later, embroiled in a blazing row after coming face to face at the Pride of Britain Awards – with Jess yelling, “You broke my heart. You lied to me.”
And while the Essex star remains tight-lipped on her current dating life, she recently teased that she’d found love with someone new – posting a photo holding a man’s hand on Instagram, with the caption, “Weekends with you”.
Back in 2016, Jess was cruelly body-shamed by trolls over photos of her in a blue bikini taken in Las Vegas. At the time, she admitted that the comments had really upset her, saying, “It’s hard, but I just say, f**k them… body shaming is real.” Since then, Jess has embraced a newfound love of fitness and now works out regularly with a personal trainer.
“Before I started my fitness programme, I was happy with my body, but not happy enough,” she explains. “I wanted to tone up everywhere and feel fit and strong, and I’ve dropped from a size 10 to an 8.
“My secret is working out loads! I’ve got my body to a point where I like it and then I try and maintain it. But I always eat what I want, within reason. I have a good balance – it isn’t about cutting things out, as that doesn’t work.”
Jess’ other fitness secret is to work out with a friend. “I head to the gym with Michelle sometimes,” she says. “But my biggest gym buddy is my sister, Natalya. We go together all the time. We spur each other on at the gym. It’s always helpful when you’re with someone.”
Read even more celeb news in this week's Closer magazine - out now.
The Jess Wright beauty range is now available exclusively at Poundland.