TOWIE history: why did Lauren Goodger and Mark Wright break up after a decade-long romance?
Lauren Goodger and Mark Wright were childhood sweethearts and had an on-off relationship for about 11 years. Their dramatic romance played out on ITV2's TOWIE before they broke up after a brief engagement in 2011. While reflecting on the famous split, Lauren told Closer Online in 2024:
There were a lot of women having affairs with my fiancé
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Mark Wright was Lauren Goodger's first love, whom she started dating in the early 2000s.
- The exes have had a strained relationship following their 2012 split, with Lauren claiming that Mark does not speak to her even when they meet in public.
- Mark Wright has a baby with his long-term wife, actress Michelle Keegan, while Goodger welcomed two daughters with her ex-partner Charles Drury.
Mark Wright and Lauren Goodger were teenage sweethearts
Goodger and Wright started dating in the early 2000s when they were 15. They were in the same class and grew up together. During her September 2024 appearance on Paul C. Brunson's podcast We Need to Talk, Lauren said that Mark Wright was the love of her life and he got her through tough times.
I never ever thought I was going to love someone else. It wasn't a smooth-sailing relationship. We broke up a few months, got back together, but we grew up together... We wouldn't have stayed together for that long if he didn't have this mutual feeling for me.
Source: Getty Images
Mark and Lauren became TOWIE's golden couple
When The Only Way Is Essex premiered in October 2010, Mark and Lauren's turbulent relationship became a central storyline in the first three seasons. The former couple's frequent arguments boosted ratings and won the reality TV series the Audience Award at the 2011 BAFTA Awards.
Mark was often portrayed with a bad boy persona. He dated other TOWIE cast members, including Lucy Mecklenburgh and Sam Faiers, while Lauren appeared to be the loyal girlfriend.
In March 2011, Wright proposed to Goodger with a diamond engagement ring on the second episode of TOWIE season 2. The couple called off their engagement five months later in August 2011. They tried to reconcile but ultimately broke up for good in 2012, and Mark Wright left TOWIE in season 3.
Source: Getty Images
Why did Lauren and Mark split up?
Mark Wright was with Lauren Goodger for about 11 years, but accusations of infidelity from both parties rocked the relationship. A memorable TOWIE scene aired in the season 2 finale when Lauren pushed Wright into the pool in front of his friends for failing to invite her to his party amid cheating rumours and walked away saying 'Goodbye, Mark'.
The ex-couple's friend James 'Arg' Argent revealed in April 2012 that Mark and Goodger broke up for good because they were making each other miserable. During her 2024 appearance on Paul C. Brunson's podcast, Lauren claimed that TOWIE scripted some of Wright's relationships with other girls.
Wright and Goodger have no post-breakup relationship
Lauren and Mark cut all ties after calling it quits, but have commented about each other in the press and online. In 2014, Wright publicly asked Lauren in several posts on X (formerly Twitter) to stop mentioning him in interviews, urging her to move on. In one tweet, he wrote:
It's been well over 2 years, and it still continues. I find it so disrespectful to myself, but more importantly, my fiancé. Be a proper woman.
In September 2024, Goodger told the Daily Mail that despite living near each other in Essex and using the same gym, Mark often ignores her when they meet in public. She said she is proud of him, although he has built a life that they were supposed to have with someone else.
Obviously, he's moved on with his life. He's got to respect that. And I respect that. But I would love to say, 'Hey, how are you? Like, all good?' But it's never happened. We don't speak at all.
Source: Getty Images
Mark Wright has been with Michelle Keegan since Lauren split
Wright started dating actress Michelle Keegan in late 2012 and proposed in September 2013 during a trip to Dubai. The couple exchanged vows on May 24, 2015, at St Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
Mark Wright and his wife, Michelle, announced in December 2024 that they were expecting their first child. Their daughter, Palma Elizabeth Wright, was born on March 6, 2025. The Wrights live in a £3.5 million Georgian-style mansion in Essex.
Source: Getty Images
Lauren Goodger has had several relationships
Since her split from Mark Wright, Lauren has been in three serious relationships. She dated businessman Jake McClean for about four years from 2012 to May 2016. Jake unfortunately passed away in July 2022 at 33 in a tragic car crash in Turkey.
The TOWIE star moved on with Joey Morrison, a convicted felon, in 2016. They dated while he was serving a 16-year prison sentence. They had broken up by the time Morrison was released in September 2018.
Goodger started dating amateur football player and builder Charles Drury in October 2020. They welcomed their first daughter, Larose, in July 2021 and had a second daughter, Lorena, on July 8, 2022.
Lauren Goodger's baby, Lorena, tragically passed away after her birth. She broke up with Charles shortly after the funeral, but they have been focused on co-parenting amid rumours of reconciliation.
Source: Getty Images
What is Lauren Goodger doing now?
Lauren is back on reality TV after rejoining TOWIE as part of the main cast in early 2024 for season 33. She is often remembered as Mark Wright's ex-fiancée, but told Closer Online in March 2024 that she has put the drama behind her and is now mature and wise.
There was a lot of heartache and drama. Now I have no drama. I get on with everyone. I am more respected in the cast as well. I am the calm mother and big sister.
Goodger also knows that she may never be able to escape Mark Wright after scenes from TOWIE of him making vile comments about her resurfaced in May 2025. She considers their romance ancient history, and the past is reportedly affecting her healing journey, according to Closer.
Source: Getty Images
Conclusion
Whatever happened between Lauren Goodger and Mark Wright continues to make tabloid headlines more than 13 years later. Their lives turned out very different after TOWIE, and they are raising families of their own.
READ MORE: Joey Essex's dating history: all his relationships from Sam Faiers to Jessy Potts
Briefly.co.za highlighted facts about Joey Essex's love life. The English TV personality first rose to fame in 2011 as a star on TOWIE and has since appeared on reality shows like Love Island and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Joey has been linked to over ten relationships, mostly with his reality TV co-stars. Some of his ex-girlfriends include Sam Faiers, Lorena Medina, Stephanie Pratt, and Vanessa Bauer.
Source: Briefly News
