Lauren Goodger reveals career saw her advised to have abortion during peak TOWIE fame

Former TOWIE star Lauren Goodger has revealed the pressure she faced from industry advisers to terminate her pregnancy, as they claimed it would "ruin her career."

Speaking to podcaster Paul Carrick Brunson, Lauren recounted how during her high-profile relationship with Jake McLean, whom she met via social media in 2012, she fell pregnant at a time when her career in reality TV was soaring.

Despite being at the peak of her success, she was told by management: "I was advised by management that it would ruin my career ,which is so wrong because I was at the very height of my career, and actually as years went on the girls in [The Only Way Is Essex] bought shows out because they had kids that could have been me."

Now 37, Lauren reflects on the advice given to her as misguided, especially since having a child has become an asset for many reality stars who leverage their new role as parents into lucrative opportunities. She regrets missing out on potential deals, saying: "You can do baby brands, but I haven't done any of it."

Lauren also touched upon her past relationship with Mark Wright, another TOWIE celebrity, noting the current state of their relationship: "We don't speak at all it's very very strange."

Lauren has expressed that attempting to communicate with her ex now would be overly complex, due to the inevitable media attention snapping a photograph of them together, which would only complicate matters further. Recalling an uncomfortable encounter, she detailed how they once had to feign ignorance of each other when bumping into one another in an Essex gym queue, reports the Mirror.

Even though Lauren was able to command up to £25,000 for a single photoshoot during the peak of her career, she faced significant financial strain amidst the pandemic. It was this hardship that led her to join the adult content platform OnlyFans.

Addressing whispers that the UK-based adult website was initially founded with her as the inspiration, Lauren remarked: "They tried to get me years ago. Their account was contacting me quite a lot on Twitter and Insta, but I ignored it."

Concerning her previous refusal to join OnlyFans, she elaborated, "I would never have done OnlyFans then," noting that while the platform was keen on her participation, it was not aligned with her preferences or necessities at the time. However, circumstances shifted.