Bursting onto our screens ten years ago now, The Only Way Is Essex was one of the first UK reality shows of its kind (without it, there’s no doubt we wouldn’t have Geordie Shore or Made In Chelsea). The first few series made vajazzles a thing, with cast members like Mark Wright, Gemma Collins, Amy Childs and Lauren Goodger becoming household names as thousands of us tuned in.
But Lauren has now revealed that her time on the show from 2010-2012 had the royal seal of approval. In a new interview, she said she laughs when people call her a bad role model as Kate Middleton previously said that Lauren is her favourite cast member.
Also talking about how she sometimes gets trolled for posting bikini pictures to Instagram, the reality star compared herself to Kim Kardashian, saying she thinks there’s double standards as Kim usually gets praised for it.
‘Kim posts a topless selfie and she's a feminist,’ she told The Sun. ‘I post a bikini picture and get called an attention seeker. It's double standards. There is no need for it. And calling me a bad role model? I just laugh. I'm Kate Middleton's favourite TOWIE star, so I must be doing something right.’
And while it might be hard to imagine Kate and Wills sitting down to watch TOWIE, Lauren isn’t lying about the Duchess’ viewing habits, as in 2012, Kate admitted she was a fan of the show while visiting Alder Hey children’s hospital. During her visit, according to the Daily Star, she said she never missed an episode and that she hoped Lauren wouldn’t get back together with her ex-boyfriend Mark Wright because he's 'not nice enough' to her.
We wonder if she now watches Love Island, too.
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