IT was the place that made them famous, but a growing number of The Only Way of Essex stars are ditching their hometown for sunnier climes.
This week it emerged Joey Essex is eyeing a move to Dubai, following a break-in at his mansion.
The reality star, 32, was left an emotional wreck after the raid last year, and it's believed to have triggered his search for a new home somewhere abroad where he would feel “safe”.
And he wouldn't be the first Towie legend to set his sights on the United Arab Emirates.
In fact, so many stars from the show have upped sticks that locals in Brentwood, where it was set, told The Sun this week that fans no longer flock there, rendering it a "ghost town".
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Here we take a look at the former Essex faithfuls who quit the UK for a new life in the sunshine.
Elliott Wright - Marbella
Having appeared in the early series of Towie, in 2015 Elliott moved to Spain to pursue further business opportunities and open successful restaurant and bar Olivia's La Cala.
He also found love when he met Sadie Stuart, who he wed in 2017.
While Elliot's restaurant has been a success, he's suffered his fair share of blows since leaving the UK.
Olivia's was devastated by fire in 2021 and was shut for 12 weeks while he rebuilt.
In the same year he suffered a double tragedy when his beloved dad, Eddie, died from Covid and the couple lost a baby to miscarriage at five months.
The Wrights, who already shared three-year-old Billy, announced happier news in February, when their baby son John was born.
Elliot, 43, is also dad to Elliott Jr, 15, and 13-year-old Olivia from previous relationships.
This week, Elliot suffered new heartache when the restaurant's doorman and "dear friend" Jose Rafael Pisani Pardo was killed trying to break up a fight, and graffiti was sprayed on the building.
A British national was arrested for the stabbing, which left Elliot "utterly devastated."
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Yazmin Oukhello - Dubai
Yasmin, 28, quit the UK to live in Dubai following her split from James Lock in 2021, and began working as a high end estate agent.
She returned to Towie after a break - but a horror crash in Turkey, which killed on-off boyfriend Jake McLean in July last year, made her rethink her options again.
Last month she announced she's now resumed her property career after moving back to the UAE hotspot and landing a job with luxury firm Sycamore Estates.
She shared news of her new job on her Instagram stories and revealed her stunning apartment which boasts sensational views of the harbour and buildings across the water.
She wrote: "Now I’ve made that full commitment to put my heart and soul into real estate in Dubai. I absolutely love it.
"There’s people out here making six, seven figures a month. It’s crazy, the property market has never been as big as it is now out here. It’s mad."
Yasmin, who suffered a broken arm and severed artery after the couple's car went off a cliff, said she was quitting the show to deal with the "trauma".
An insider told the Sun: "Yaz has decided to step away from the next series of Towie and focus on recovering from the trauma of what she has been through over the last year."
Tom Pearce - Dubai
Tom, 32, quit the ITVBe show in 2014 after two years to focus on his career as an equity broker.
After working in London he relocated to Dubai and, in 2019, he met Manchester beautician Rebecca Walker, who owns a facial and eyelash extension business in the city.
In 2022, he popped the question to Rebecca, 32, on a romantic break in Bali and posted a picture of the moment with the caption: "The girl said yes!"
Vas J Morgan - LA
Vas J Morgan had a rough ride after rising to fame on Towie, suffering from depression, addiction and attempting to take his own life.
As the only black, gay man on the series, he said his mental health suffered after he was constantly targeted by trolls.
But after launching his own mental health platform, WE MATTER, he moved to Los Angeles and became a fully-fledged socialite, hanging out with the likes of Paris Hilton and Lionel Richie’s daughter Sofia.
His celebrity-filled pics often feature close pal Rita Ora, who has shared holidays with him, and in January, he hit the Golden Globe parties with Kate Beckinsale on his arm.
Vas, 34, is also creative director for luxe leisure brand Sosala, also posts snaps of his glossy lifestyle, with trips on private jets and hanging out on yachts.
Chloe Sims - LA
Chloe decided to permanently move to Los Angeles after filming her new reality show for OnlyFans, with her sisters Frankie, 27, and Demi, 25.
The girls were living the life of luxury during filming and moved into a plush mansion, which includes an outdoor swimming pool and huge bedrooms.
And Chloe seems to have made it her permanent home since January, when she told fans: "NEW CHAPTER. I flew back to the UK for 5 days to completely pack up & say my goodbyes for now.
"Made the big move to LA the past few months have the most testing, exciting, months of my adult life."
She added: "I’ve been quiet on here as I’ve been extremely busy moving across the world."
Frankie and Demi Sims- LA
Frankie and Demi shared snaps of the rented LA mansion after moving in with big sister Chloe.
They showed off a huge kitchen with marble surfaces, a spacious bathroom and a heated pool, plus stunning views over the Californian hills.
Frankie also revealed a spacious living room with a huge TV and glass doors.
The siblings quit Towie after being offered £1million for the upcoming reality show, with the working title The House of Sims, and set their sights on becoming the next Kardashians.
The series is in pre-production and slated for later this year.
Charlie Sims - LA
The trio's brother, Charlie, also features in the family's reality show, with fiancee Georgia Shults, and is billed as co-creator and executive producer.
The couple relocated last year, before his sisters arrived, to broker the deal on the show.
The 31-year-old explained The House of Sims is "about breaking through from Essex, and seeing if we can make it in Hollywood and everything that comes with that".
"Everybody kind of got together and said, 'Well, we've always dreamed of going into LA and making it in Hollywood.' Putting your name in the big bright lights and that's the story we ran with really," he said.
On arrival in the States, pal Vas instantly introduced him to the A-list crowd.
'We went straight out to Vas J Morgan's Halloween party," he says. "And we were just hanging with the stars, there was Paris Hilton, Megan Fox, Machine Gun Kelly, Hailey Bieber, Tobey Maguire.
Liam Gatsby - LA
Having arrived on the Towie scene in 2015, Liam Gatsby (aka Liam Blackwell) became a hit with fans thanks to his entertaining rap songs and extravagant lifestyle.
Best pals with Lydia Bright, ladies man Gatsby - a former professional footballer - had a failed romance with Chloe Sims, which she claimed ruined their friendship.
He also tried to woo Ferne McCann with a lavish date which included a helicopter ride, but it wasn’t meant to be.
But last month he shared a snap of himself outside an airport surrounded by luggage - and revealed he was finally moving to the US after months of planning his relocation.
Gatsby announced he was leaving Essex around a year ago, even throwing a typically flash American-themed party and teasing a spin-off The Only Way is LA series, but didn’t go through with it.
His family - mum Nikki and brother Eamonn - already live in LA, and Gatsby, 34, said he’s now going ahead and plans to start a real estate business there.
Admitting he is “scared” about the big move, Gatsby said he is “ready for the next chapter”, adding: “I feel like there is nothing here for me anymore."
"I’ve given up my career, my home, my car, my country amongst other things and all for one thing - my Family! I can’t lie I’m scared, nervous and excited all at the same time,” he wrote on Instagram.
At least he’ll have a few Towie mates to lean on.
