‘She wants his family at the Christening’
LAUREN’S TRUCE WITH MARK & MICHELLE
While celebrating her boyfriend Charles
Drury’s 24th birthday last week, Lauren Goodger looked glowing as she showed off her blossoming baby bump.
And as she prepares to give birth to their first child this month, pals say the former TOWIE star, 34, wants to extend an olive branch to her ex-fiancé Mark Wright’s family by inviting them to her daughter’s Christening.
TRUCE
A source says, “Lauren still hangs out in the same circles as Mark and his siblings and they have a lot of mutual friends, which can often make things awkward.
“Being pregnant and starting this new chapter in her life, she wants to finally have peace and call a truce on any feuds that are still bubbling beneath the surface, so she thought it would be a nice gesture to at least ask Mark’s family to prove there are no bad feelings on her part. She’ll invite them to the christening.”
The source adds that Mark’s best friend, James “Arg” Argent, 33, will also be invited as he and Lauren have remained close over the years.
Lauren has previously spoken about how she once considered Mark’s family as her own – after having a difficult and fractured relationship with her biological family growing up.
In 2012, she told Mark’s mum Carol on TOWIE, “I love you as a mother, you’ve been like a mum to me”, with Carol responding, “Me and [Mark’s sister] Jessica have always been there for you.”
But a few months later, Lauren and Jess spectacularly fell out shortly after Lauren’s 10-year relationship with Mark ended – resulting in a fight at Faces nightclub in Essex, with Jess sporting a missing clump of hair and Lauren a cut lip.
Lauren and Mark have also had a number of public spats, with Mark even Tweeting Lauren from his honeymoon with wife Michelle Keegan in 2015, begging her to “respect my wife and STOP” [talking about them], while Lauren lashed out that Mark thought he was “The King of Essex” after claiming he got her thrown out of local eatery Sheesh because he was there at the same time.
Since then, however, bitterness between the Wrights and Lauren seems to have thawed. In a chat with Closer in 2015, Lauren stressed there was no tension between her and the rest of the family. She said, “When I see Jess and Carol, they are lovely and say hello. And that’s it, we’re all adults and I’m not in the show any more so I don’t need that drama going on or being torn into pieces.”
ANXIETY
Pals say Lauren – who quit TOWIE because she “didn’t want drama” in her life – wants to call a truce once and for all with Mark and Michelle so she can move on with her new chapter without any bitterness.
The source says, “Lauren is extremely forgiving – she doesn’t like grudges because she doesn’t like feeling anxious. She is open about suffering from anxiety, and she feels that living in a hostile environment makes that worse for her.
“Also, the Wrights were a big part of Lauren’s life for 10 years. She thought a lot of them at one time so she would love a chance for a proper catch up.”
Lauren previously revealed she’d always longed to be a mum after struggling with her own family dynamic. She felt “abandoned” as a child, after her mum left her with her dad
❛ SHE WANTS TO MOVE ON TO HER NEXT CHAPTER WITHOUT
ANY BITTERNESS ❜
at just four years old because she couldn’t cope – but kept her older brother and sister.
When announcing her pregnancy in January, she even admitted she hadn’t told her estranged dad about it, saying, “The more effort I make, the more I feel like I’m being set up to fail.”
THERAPY
She has had counselling for her past issues and when previously asked about the link between her childhood and her relationship problems, Lauren said on Celebs Go Dating, “I can only think it’s because I’ve been rejected.”
She has also battled mental health issues over the years, including anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia. At the beginning of last year, she opened up about having a spate of panic attacks after coming off anti-depressant medication and, in August, she revealed she’d gone back into therapy to help with anxiety.
But since falling pregnant, Lauren says she has been “more calm”. She has had hypnotherapy and practises meditation to ease her worries.
And pals say impending motherhood has given her an opportunity to reflect.
The source adds, “Lauren wants to go all-out for the Christening and wait until the pandemic restrictions have been fully lifted so she can have a big bash. She has spent most of her pregnancy and her relationship with Charles in lockdown, so now is the chance to really show it off as she’s proud of what she’s achieved.
“The lockdowns have made her reassess a lot of things in her life and she says it’s time to finally let bygones be bygones and prove she’s moved on with no hard feelings.”
By Daisy McLure