Lauren Goodger says she doesn’t want to do OnlyFans has to

Lauren Goodger has spoken candidly about her financial difficulties after previously commanding £25,000 for a magazine shoot in her TOWIE heyday.

The TOWIE star, 38, said she is living a ‘basic’ life in an ordinary semi-detached home with her daughter Larose, three, who she shares with her ex Charles Drury.

Lauren, who gave birth to a stillborn daughter in 2022, said she did not care about work after her death. She said: ‘I didn’t want to do anything else but being the mum.’

The reality star now makes a living posting pictures of herself in lingerie on OnlyFans for a $50 (£38) monthly membership with the adult photo sharing site.

However, she confessed during a new interview with the Guardian that she would rather not have to use the X-rated website, where she posts lingerie-clad photographs to make money.

Speaking about her profession, she admitted: ‘I don’t want to have to do OnlyFans’, but she has to rely on it because money in the industry ‘isn’t what it was’.

Discussing the height of her stardom she said: ‘I probably earned the most, but lost a hell of a lot. And that has humbled me, 100%.’

Lauren referred to he fake-tan brand, Lauren’s Way, which she started when she was 23 and was stocked in big name stores like Superdrug and Debenhams. However she has now fallen out with her business partner. 

Just before Towie first aired, the producers sat Goodger down, saying: ‘You are famous, you’ve got to leave your jobs.’ The early years of reality TV fame were fun. ‘Going out and getting papped,’ she says, ‘getting a column with the Sun.’ It sounds like the dream, I say. ‘Yeah,’ she cackles. ‘It was. At first.’ 

When I ask Goodger if she enjoys being famous, she answers immediately. “No,” she says, shaking her head, “no.” Does she wish she’d never gone on the show? “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, because I’m grateful that I got the chance … but it hasn’t been easy, and that’s plain for everyone to see.” She wishes she could have “come back and done things a bit differently”. 

Lauren is also involved in an ongoing legal case with the Financial Conduct Authority over unauthorised communications of financial promotions. Lauren cannot comment on the case, for legal reasons. 

A group of social media influencers including Lauren have denied promoting a ‘high-risk’ foreign exchange scheme to millions of followers.

Lauren, along with former Love Island star Jamie Clayton, 32, and 2016 Celebrity Big Brother winner-turned Geordie Shore star Scott Timlin, 36, were allegedly paid to promote the scheme to 4.5million Instagram followers.

Also charged by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are former Love Islanders Rebecca Gormley, 26, Biggs Chris, 32, and Eva Zapico, 25 and TOWIE member Yazmin Oukhellou, 30.

The social media influencers and reality TV ‘entrepreneurs’ allegedly promoted @holly-fxtrends but all denied issuing unauthorised communications of financial promotions.

But whatever the outcome, nothing will be decided until 2027 – when trial dates have been set.

The interview comes soon after Lauren spoke about how she ‘hasn’t got anyone’ as opened up about the crippling loneliness she’s endured.

In the two years since Lorena’s death, Lauren – who has also suffered other traumas such as the death of ex Jake McLean and the split from Charles  – Lauren has claimed that friends and family have ‘vanished’ from her life.

Speaking in a candid interview with Paul C Brunson on his We Need To Talk podcast, Lauren detailed the struggles she’s been enduring as she goes through life with just her two-year-old daughter Larose by her side, noting: ‘She’s all I’ve got’.

The TV star also admitted that she reckons that she’s ‘100% suffering’ with depression as she told of her lack of emotional support amid he traumas.

During the chat, Lauren broke down in tears as she spoke of Lorena’s death and the impact it had on her life.

When asked how she gets through the grief of losing Lorena, Lauren tearfully responded: ‘Larose, because she’s all I’ve got. She’s literally all I’ve got and she’s the only person that I love.’

Lauren – who also opened up about being forced to have an abortion in the chat –  then told how she never cries in front of people and always tried to hold her emotions inside.

Paul then touched on how ‘lonely’ Lauren is, with the emotional star admitting: ‘I used to have a lot of people, now I haven’t got anyone and I don’t know why. My life has got worse and worse and on top of it, it’s like life stresses as well. I haven’t been left alone. 

After discussing financial issues she’s been having, Lauren said: ‘I’m still carrying on, but how long am I going to carry on for? How do I get through it? Because I have no choice.’

Lauren went on to say that she will never let daughter Larose see how unhappy she is, noting that she puts on a cheerful mum persona and enjoys days out with the youngster.

She went on to add: ‘I don’t have any friends’.

Certified life coach Paul then went through the five stages of trauma, noting that depression is one of them, leading Lauren to admit that she feels depressed.

She said: ‘Do you know what, I’ve never had depression in my life but I’m suffering I think, 100%’

The podcast also saw Paul talk about the need of family and friends’ emotional support to get people through trauma, with Lauren noting: ‘I don’t have that.’

‘I’m trying but it’s really hard. There are friends there but they’re not. I’m trying. My daughter’s friends, because she goes to pre-school, I’ve started to talk to their mums.’

Despite having the other parents over for play dates with her daughter, Lauren confessed that she’s worried they won’t ‘accept’ her because she’s ‘different, but insists that she’s ‘trying to build a new life’.  

Sharing further about the lack of support in her life, Lauren touched on the hernia she suffered with last month and told how she didn’t receive a single visitor amid her painful injury.

‘I’ve just had this hernia and I’ve not had one person come around to see if I’m OK’, she explained.

‘Life is hard but I’m gonna be alright because this is me and I will get through it.’

During the chat, Lauren told how she ‘rushed through’ her grieving period because of her daughter Larose, going on to state that she now wants ‘normality’ in her life.

Touching on her love life, she added: ‘I’ve not been with anyone, because I’m not ready. Because there’s work I need to do on myself, it’s got to be right for Larose, and also, I am Lauren. I need that, I need to be in love. 

‘If I can’t get it from my family and friends, I need to make a new home unit. That’s why I am thinking that I need to be ready to start dating.’

It comes after Lauren revealed last month that she feels abandoned by family and friends after ‘everyone vanished’ from her life following the tragic death of baby daughter Lorena. 

Lauren, who is also mother to two-year-old Larose, said that as time has passed her support system has dropped off and she’s never experienced such loneliness. 

Telling OK!: ‘As time’s gone on, after what I went through losing Lorena, people think, “Oh, it’s been two years now, she’s alright”. But it’s actually worse because you become lonelier. I’ve never experienced loneliness like it in my life’.

Lauren said she’s lost contact with close friends and explained that while her parents don’t see as much of Larose as she would hope, elder sister Nicola is the one always on hand for support. 

Telling the publication:  ‘No one steps up, people have DMed me on Instagram to say ‘Exactly the same thing happened to me, as soon as I had this loss [losing a baby] everyone vanished.’, I don’t know what it does to people, but they step back, they don’t step forward’.

She also said how she receives help from with ex, and father of both daughters, Charles Drury, 27, with whom she co-parents however he lives three and a half hours away from her home in Essex. 

Saying: ‘In an emergency he’s unavailable. I meet him twice a week [to pick Larose up and drop her off] halfway’. 

If you have been affected by anything in this article, please contact the UK Child Bereavement line on 0800 02 888 40 or the The Lullaby Trust on 0808 8026868.

If you’re struggling, talk to CALM on 0800 58 58 58 (UK). To find out more about CALM or for support or advice visit thecalmzone.net.