He’s made every effort over the years to reinvent himself from notorious playboy to committed family man. But last week, it must have seemed like Mark Wright could never erase his TOWIE legacy, after its ten-year anniversary special – which harked back to an epic moment from his love-rat past on the show.
It then got even more embarrassing for the star – who was appearing on the pitch for Soccer Aid as the show aired – as his former girlfriend Lauren Goodger posted a series of pics of them together in their TOWIE days.
Meanwhile Essex legend Amy Childs publicly slammed him for not taking part in the reunion – saying in an interview that he “wouldn’t be where [he is] now” if it weren’t for TOWIE. Awks.
Nowadays, Mark’s more loved-up than ever with his wife Michelle Keegan. He even proved his perfect husband credentials in 2019, after quitting his high-profile US gig as an E! presenter to spend more time at home. But TOWIE fans will remember that things were very different back in 2010 before he and Michelle got together.
That first series, Mark’s reputation preceded him as a grade-A womaniser, who was constantly putting down on/off girlfriend Lauren, while also hooking up with the likes of Lucy Mecklenburgh and Sam Faiers.
TOWIE stars: then and now
heat TOWIE stars then and now stacked
1 of 20Lauren Goodger in 2011
Lauren Goodger takes on the red carpet at Essex Fashion Week back in 2011, a year after the show launched. Stripes and fake tan for days.
2 of 20THE GLOW UP - Lauren Goodger now
Oh YASS, the glow up is real.Check out Lauren Goodger in 2018. We don't know what magical moisturiser she is using but we are well jel - she looks younger. She briefly returned to TOWIE and has since launched her tanning brand LG Tan.
3 of 20Harry Derbidge in 2010
TOWIE's sweet heart and cousin to TOWIE royalty, Amy Childs, at the afterparty of a film premiere. Looking so young and fresh faced.
4 of 20THE GLOW UP - Harry Derbidge now
After quitting the show TWICE in 2014 (so, extra) he followed in his cousin Amy Childs' footsteps and opened his own boutique which later closed down. Now, he is a social media influencer and make-up artist and slaying the game. He has also announced his adoption plans with his fiancé Dean Rowland.
5 of 20Gemma Collins in 2011
Do you remember when she was a brunette? Yeah, no one does.
6 of 20THE GLOW UP - Gemma Collins now
"So, girls"She later ditched the bangs, the brunette hair and the excessive tan.After becoming TOWIE's most meme'ed star, she's launched her own TV show Diva Forever, dropped a podcast and she continues to be in an on/off relationship with James 'Arg' Argent.
7 of 20Amy Childs in 2010
Amy Childs in her signature red hair back in 2010 - on the red carpet for the launch of The Only Way Is Essex.
8 of 20THE GLOW UP - Amy Childs now
After being the first one to quit the show, she stormed the showbiz world with her own reality TV show, starred in Celebrity Big Brother and she is now reported to be worth over £5 million. She's also a mum to Polly and Rich.
9 of 20Mark Wright in 2011
Other than being an immediate TOWIE heartthrob / major palyer, he also used to model early on in his career.
10 of 20THE GLOW UP - Mark Wright now
Mark is now happily married to Michelle Keegan. He has his own radio show, he used to be the face of Take Me Out: The Gossip and he ventured across the pond to work with Mario Lopez on Extra.
11 of 20James 'Arg' Argent in 2011
This is what he looked like in 2011, a year after TOWIE launched.
12 of 20THE GLOW UP - James Argent now
Following his break-up from his on screen love, Lydia Bright, he took sometime off from TOWIE. He appeared on and off for a number of series but in 2020 he opened up about his cocaine addiction and eating disorder. He is now in an on/off relationship with Gemma Collins.
13 of 20Lydia Bright in 2011
Lydia opened her own boutique as soon as she joined TOWIE. She left the show after major drama with co-stars James Argent and Gemma Collins.
14 of 20THE GLOW UP - Lydia Bright now
Lydia's now mum to a little girl, Loretta.
15 of 20Sam Faiers in 2010
Quintessential Essex glamour is the best way to describe this picture but she definitely wins the best glow up...
16 of 20THE GLOW UP - Sam Faiers now
She 100% glowed up the most. Her life changed drastically since she first appeared on TOWIE. After leaving the show, she became a mother to Paul and Rosie. She followed Amy Childs' footsteps and joined Celebrity Big Brother and she has her own show The Mummy Diaries. You go girl.
17 of 20Kirk Norcross in 2010
He is a TOWIE original. He left the show three years after first appearing on our TV screens.
18 of 20THE GLOW UP - Kirk Norcross now
Not much has changed, except he is a dad to two children now.
19 of 20Maria Fowler in 2011
She had a very short time on TOWIE after she was dubbed "just a f***ing extra" by Kirk - harsh, right?
20 of 20THE GLOW UP - Maria Fowler now
We use the term 'now" very loosely with Maria, this picture is from early 2017 - that's because we can't find any recent pics as she is keeping it on the down low. We do know that is she is a makeup artist now, she's married to Kelvin Batey and they're expecting their second child later this year.
And last week’s reunion special reminded us of that fact, as it aired one of the show’s most iconic moments: the day that Lauren pushed Mark into a pool, after he called her an “idiot” and told her to “f--k off”. It’s safe to say that today’s Mr Wright must have been horrified, but his former cast-mates loved it, cheering Lauren as they watched the clip, with Diags mimicking Mark and asking, “What have I done wrong? Slept with a few girls?”
The timing for the reunion special wasn’t ideal for Mark, either, with it coinciding with the legendary celeb-filled Soccer Aid match. He may have been focused on the beautiful game, but fans at home were switching between seeing him shooting goals on the pitch to being a very different kind of player.
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As heat has told you, Mark and Michelle might be thinking about moving back to LA again, but it seems he’ll never quite be able to leave behind his old reputation. As Amy put it, “He was known as the King of Essex. He’ll always be a huge part of the show and I’m shocked he’s chosen not to be there.”
Read more in the latest issue of heat magazine - OUT NOW.