Another former star of ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ is returning to the show, with Lauren Pope surprising viewers with the news she’ll be appearing in the series finale on Sunday (30 April).
Lauren has been away from ‘TOWIE’ for the past few years and focussing on her business, but is gearing up for the last episode of the current series.
And while she’s refused to rule out a permanent return later in the year, she’s said she’s looking forward to being back, particularly as so many of the people she clashed with first time around are now gone.
She said: “The people that I had the drama with last time round aren’t there now so hopefully I’ll find it more enjoyable which is why I’m more excited to go back.
“It’s a fresh, clean slate and that old drama won’t be dragged up again.”
Lauren has admitted to finding current ‘TOWIE’ star Dan Edgar “stunningly beautiful”, even disclosing that they’d once had a “little fling”, adding: “It fizzled out when I moved away from Essex.
“We left it on really good terms. He’s nice and chilled out.”
Some may be surprised to see Lauren back on the show, as she recently spoke about the anxiety she suffered as a result of being on the show, in an interview with HuffPost UK on ‘BUILD’.
She said: “I do not miss the constant feeling of anxiety and stress when you have got a big storyline.
“It’s a catch-22 because if you have got a storyline it means you have got airtime which means that away from the show you get more exposure, which is great for your business.
“But it also means that you are going into filming every day feeling that you are on edge all the time.”
“You’re thinking, ‘oh my God what is happening next’ – to the producers it’s just a storyline because it’s a show but it is your life they’re dealing with.”
The current series has seen former ‘Love Island’ stars Nathan Massey and Cara De La Hoyde have both filming scenes in ‘TOWIE’, following their split earlier this month.
Reports recently suggested that producers were hoping to sign up Cara on a permanent basis for the 21st series, which will kick off later this year.
Meanwhile, Lauren P isn’t the only former cast member to return to the show in recent months, with Lauren Goodger, Charlie King and Mario Falcone among those back on ‘TOWIE’ in the past two series.