'I'm just a normal girl who is struggling'

TOWIE's Lauren Goodger talks about her mental health issues, exacerbated by the death of her youngest daughter

- Gemma McCartney

Lauren Goodger has been slowly trying to rebuild her life since the devastating loss of youngest daughter Lorena two years ago.

On her road to recovery, the TOWIE star has taken comfort in caring for her eldest daughter Larose, three. While she adores Larose more than anything in the world, behind closed doors Lauren admits she is struggling with feelings of emptiness, loneliness and a deep longing for her happily ever after.

Speaking from her home in Abridge, Essex, Lauren explains that while she is grappling with severe mental health concerns, she also feels deserted by her friends and family – and reveals she has no one she can turn to for help and support.

“It’s just me and Larose the majority of the time,” she tells new. “It’s a bit mentally soul-destroying because you’re like, ‘I’m so alone.’ As long as Larose is happy, but who have I got? That’s what terrifies me – I’ve got such bad health anxiety because of my loss. I had norovirus recently and I was thinking, ‘What if I’ve got this for weeks – who’s going to look after Larose?’”

Lauren’s younger daughter Lorena passed away moments after she was born in July 2022 after Lauren carried her full-term. She’s been open before about being in the depths of despair after the death of her little girl. But she explains that her grief is even more prevalent two years on – now that her support system has all but disappeared.

“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. People message me going, ‘Where are your family? Where are your friends?’ I talk to Amy Childs a lot about it. I said, ‘I know you’ve got four kids, but you don’t know how lucky you are. You have so much support.’ Of course, it’s still exhausting but she’s got four adults who help.”