31 March 2024 , 17:38
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Lauren Goodger has admitted it has been tough co-parenting her daughter with on-off boyfriend Charles Drury amid their headline-making romance.
The 37-year-old The Only Way Is Essex star has had a fraught relationship with 26-year-old builder and amateur footballer Charles - with whom she welcomed two children. The couple welcomed their first daughter, Larose, in July 2021 and Lauren then stunned fans by revealing she had fallen pregnant again just three months after giving birth to her daughter.
Lauren and Charles welcomed a second daughter, who they named Lorena, in July 2022 - but tragically the baby died two days later after being born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. The pair split soon after Lorena’s funeral - amid claims Charles had attacked Lauren, however charges of assault and engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour were later dropped after Lauren withdrew her support for the case. The pair have since developed a new parenting-based friendship and the reality star says both are committed to raising Larose together - even though they no longer live together, or in the same city
Opening up about her relationship, Lauren explained: "It has not been easy, but we're at a place at the minute where it is running smoothly. Charles sees Larose very regularly. It's a lot of travelling for me because he lives 3.5 hours away, and I meet him in the middle. It's not ideal but it is what it is."
Larose will turn three-years-old this summer (Phil Harris)
Lauren and Charles have had a fraught relationship over the years but are now in a good place (laurengoodger/Instagram)Lauren and Charles's relationship has had the hallmarks of a soap drama - with the pair regularly splitting and reconciling while accusations of infidelity have flown. The pair have, however, been strictly 'off' since the funeral of their tragic second child, but Lauren says they have been more successful at developing a friendship as parents to Larose.
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Explaining their relationship status further, Lauren continued in her interview with the MailOnline: "We're at a good place at the minute. We're friends. We're making it work because the priority is Larose. She sees us both equally, and that's what I don't want to change. Regardless of the situation of our relationship, I would never stop her seeing her dad."
Earlier this month, Lauren credited her daughter, Larose, for helping her through her grief while processing the death of Lorena. Speaking to OK! magazine, the reality star said: “After going through something like that, it isn’t just a straight situation of it’s bad and then it gets better – it comes in waves. In the beginning I was in shock. It took me a long time to really register what had happened
“My body and my brain just couldn’t handle so much shock and trauma in one go so it sort of shut down to protect me. I’ll be completely honest, the reason I got through it all is because of Larose. She has kept me going and without her I probably wouldn’t be here. I’m in therapy and we’re working through it – I’m slowly healing.”
Fans will soon see Lauren back on screens as she has rejoined the cast of Towie - almost a decade after quitting the show. She first appeared on the hit ITVBe reality series when it first launched back in 2010, but quit the show in 2012. She returned for season 16 in 2015 and season 19 in 2016 but is now making a full return for season 32 which begins airing this Spring.