Newly single Lauren: “Joey didn’t understand my weight battle”
The TOWIE star admits her former jailbird boyfriend wanted her to regain her size 8 figure
After weeks of A speculation, Lauren Goodger has finally confirmed she’s split from her jailbird boyfriend of 15 months, Joey Morrison, revealing it was a “mutual decision.”
Announcing the news on Instagram last week, she said: “We haven’t been together for a few months now… me and Joey are still speaking, and we’re good friends as nothing happened to make us fall out. Joey will be home in not too long hopefully and I will see him as we’ve been through this last year and a half together and have a friendship and respect for each other.”
The news came after Lauren, 30, posted a series of throwback gym pictures of her at her skinniest, claiming it was when she was “obsessed.” Only last month, she revealed to Closer how she was “scared” she’d get bigger than her current size 12 and that she’s considering lipo or a gastric band to get back in shape.
BODY GOALS
In the past few months, Lauren has made a distinct turnaround in her behaviour, swapping her nights in and gym sessions for wild nights out – she partied until 5am with footballer Dele Alli last month and pole-danced at V Festival. And while insiders say Lauren hasn’t ruled out a reunion with Joey, 30 – who is currently serving a 16-year sentence for a string of violent drugs-related charges – they add that her ongoing weight battle, which has seen her yo-yo between a size 8 and a 16, was a contributing factor in their break-up.
A source says: “Joey didn’t pressure her to lose weight, but he did encourage her in her efforts because he knew she could achieve her body goals again.
“She doesn’t like her figure at the moment, but she doesn’t hate it either. She’s a different size in different brands, but she would like to lose weight and get her training body back.”
Lauren began dating Joey in April last year – not long after revealing her impressive 4st weight loss, dropping to a size 8 with her fitness DVD Lauren’s OMG Workout. But she admitted to Closer last month that Joey sometimes failed to understand her frustration with her fluctuating figure.
CONTROLLING
She told us: “Joey always tells me I’m beautiful, but he knew me when I was at my slimmest and a size 8. He says: ‘Why can’t you get back to that again?’ But he’s a man and he doesn’t understand that it’s harder for women to lose weight because we have more body fat. He’s supportive, but he’s a very fit, active person, even while in prison, so he thinks I should do the same.”
But when Lauren took part in Channel 5 show In Therapy, which aired in January, her friend Jodie Wheeler revealed on the programme: “He’s (Joey) very controlling, he wants her to do things she wouldn’t do for somebody else. But she likes that.”
That same month Lauren revealed her boyfriend was quite tough on her when it came to weight loss, saying: “He’s [Joey] done a PT course in there [prison] so he thinks he knows all about fitness… if he was with me now, he’d have me locked in a room with a treadmill and would feed me water and bloody veg! The other day he said: ‘Cor, you look good today. When I saw you the other day you looked bloated.’ I don’t care, though, because I say it about myself.”
Despite everything, her pals say the TOWIE star hasn’t given up on her fairy-tale ending with Joey. A source says: “She’d love to get married and have a baby and her friends don’t think this is the last they’ve heard from Lauren and Joey! But while he’s in prison, it’s not going to work.”
High-street labels have also been condemned for selling the material – sometimes under the pretence that it’s faux. Earlier this year, Missguided and House of Fraser products, such as hats and gloves, were found to mistakenly contain real fur Popski despite being labelled as “faux,” after tests London sell raccoon fur hats proved the items used rabbit and cat fur. Both immediately took the products off sale. Yvonne says: “When people see pom poms on hats and fur on jackets they assume it’s faux. But it’s sometimes real.” Meanwhile, other brands, such as Popski London, specialise in real fur products – from hats to fur-lined parkas – starting at £20.
HOW CAN YOU ENSURE YOUR FAUX FUR IS REALLY FAKE? Sometimes faux fur can be confusing but it is possible to perform a visual check. If you pull the fur apart and see stitches then it is definitely fake. But if you can see skin, then it’s real.