‘It’s hard to be disciplined when you love your food’
TOWIE’S Lauren Pope says, at 36, she’s finally learned she’d rather be single than settle for the wrong guy
It’s never easy when you’re out for dinner with friends, trying to pick a healthy choice, and someone goes for the naughty option – it makes you want to indulge, too! So I was amused when I read new research that suggests friends can be the reason you keep falling off the diet wagon. It’s called “altruistic indulgence” and apparently it’s our way of saying, “Don’t worry, your terrible diet is OK.” But I think there are two very different kinds of people. Some are always going to choose the healthy option, because they are very disciplined, and the others, like me, are easily led and don’t need an excuse to eat! There may be an element that you don’t want to look too uptight in front of your friends but, really, I think it’s a convenient excuse and nothing to do with friends at all. You can’t blame them if you want that unhealthy meal. Even if my friend is ordering a salad, I’ll be like, “Well, I’m having a burger!”
I’m the same with alcohol. I’ll spend the whole day saying, “I’m not drinking tonight” and then as soon as someone offers me a glass of Prosecco, I indulge. I’ve yo-yoed between a size 20 and a 10 over the years, but I’ve recently lost 6st and have kept it off through a sensible diet. That being said, life’s too short to deny yourself all the time.
She was spotted getting S close to TOWIE co-star Sam Mucklow recently, but Lauren Pope says she’s not one to rush into a relationship. The reality TV star, 36, tells Closer that she’s learned to maintain her standards and will walk away from a potential romance if the signs aren’t right.
She explains, “When I’m with someone and it doesn’t feel right, or if they give me a warning sign, I would rather just step away with it on good terms before it gets nasty. I think as you get older you see the signs earlier on. Unfortunately, there aren’t that many great men left in this world.”
And Lauren – who has appeared on TOWIE since 2010 and hasn’t dated publicly since her short-lived relationship with TOWIE’S Jon Clark ended in 2017 – says she’d rather be single than settle for the wrong man.
HIGH STANDARDS
She adds, “It frustrates me when people are like, ‘You’re 36 and single’. I think people need to understand that it’s out of choice. Realistically, if I want a boyfriend I will go and find a boyfriend. My co-star Chloe Sims has the same conversation with people and I love it when she says we’re not short of offers, but it’s easy just to settle as you get older. I think it’s important to maintain your standards”.
But despite her strong attitude towards dating, the star admits she’s still hoping to settle down and have a family one day.
Lauren says, “I definitely want kids, but I don’t want to have them with someone that’s not right. I know age is a factor, but I think there are so many options now and it’s not something I’m stressing about. When the time comes I’ll look at options”.
Lauren, who’s also forged a career as a DJ, keeps in shape with Reformer Pilates and a healthy diet of vegetables and white fish. And despite previously having had a nose job and breast implants, which she later had removed – she says she’s happier in herself more than ever and doesn’t worry about getting older.
CELEB INSPIRATION
She explains, “In my early 30s, I stressed about age quite a lot, as 30 is the point you feel like you should have done more than you have. But at 36, all you can do is embrace it. I’m the happiest I’ve been in how I feel about myself, work and relationships”.
And as she looks to her forties, she’s got plenty of inspiration.
Lauren says, “There are so many hot women in their 40s. I hardly see J-LO, Victoria Beckham or Nicole Scherzinger as past it – they’re absolutely killing it”.