TOWIE cast: Where are the original stars now as show celebrates almost a decade on screen?

Take a trip down TOWIE memory lane...

It’s been almost 10 years since the original TOWIE cast first burst onto our TV screens teaching us words like ‘reem’, ‘vajazzle’ and ‘muggy’.

The first-ever series featured the likes of Amy Childs, Billie and Sam Faiers, James Argent, Jess and Mark Wright, Kirk Norcross, Lauren Goodger, Lauren Pope, Lucy Mecklenburgh, Lydia Bright, Maria Fowler and Nanny Pat.

Despite an ever-changing line-up and an impressive 24 series in under its belt, TOWIE still manages to pull in a massive 1 million + viewers.

With its milestone 10th anniversary approaching, let’s take a trip down memory lane to see how the stars of the show have changed over the years…

While most of the original cast have long since quit the series, there are still a few familiar faces on the show. The most notable include Lauren Pope, Gemma Collins and Chloe Sims, though technically Gem and Chloe weren’t a part of the show from the beginning as they only joined in 2011.

TOWIE OG Lauren just recently announced she was quitting the show after nine years to focus on her business and budding romance with millionaire banker boyfriend Tony Keterman.

What are the original TOWIE cast up to now?

Amy Childs

The ditsy, loveable vajazzle queen left the show in 2011 and went on to appear in Celebrity Big Brother, Channel 4’s The Jump and also landed her own documentary called It’s All About Amy.

On April 2017, she welcomed daughter Polly with ex Bradley Wright. She welcomed a baby boy last September, though little is known about her son’s baby daddy.

It’s thought she’s worth around £5million thanks to her line of fashion and beauty products and her own Essex salon.

Billie and Sam Faiers

Billie joined the second series of TOWIE in 2011 before leaving in 2016 to focus on her family. The 29-year-old recently wed Greg Shepherd, who she’s been with since 2013, in a no expense spared ceremony in the Maldives. They welcomed daughter Nelly in 2014 and son Arthur in March 2017. Apart from The Mummy Diaries, Billie shunned other reality TV gigs to focus on her clothing company Minnies Boutique.

The mum-of-two also has a lucrative line with In The Style.

Sam appeared in the very first episode of TOWIE before leaving in 2014 due to lack of storylines. The same year, she appeared in series 13 of Celebrity Big Brother. In 2016, the 28-year-old secured The Mummy Diaries with ITVBe and Billie joined her on the show the following year. As well as The Mummy Diaries, Sam – who was once engaged to Joey Essex – has a number of fashion collaborations.

When it comes to her love life, Sam has two kids with her partner, property developer and estate agent Paul Knightley. Paul Jnr was born in December 2015 and she welcomed daughter Rosie last year. According to recent reports, Sam is worth a huge £4.2 million.

James Argent

After dating Lydia Bright, Arg got with Gemma Collins and the stormy pair have been on and off ever since. The singer was one of the longest-serving TOWIE members after appearing in last year’s series despite being briefly booted off the show due to his behaviour. In 2017, Arg checked into a Thai rehab facility for two months after struggling with a number of problems including alcohol and substance abuse.

He’s also appeared in a number of other reality series, including Celebrity Super Spa, Sugar Free Farm, The Jump and All Star Family Fortunes.

Jess Wright

Jess, who used to date fellow TOWIE star Ricky Rayment, quit the show in 2016 to focus on her own ventures, including a fitness DVD and fake eyelash line. She briefly dated Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice, but is now all loved up with businessman William Lee-Kemp, who is a good friend of her brother Mark. Jess also recently splashed out on a £1.25 million pad in Chigwell, Essex, which was one of four houses Mark converted.

Mark Wright

One of the most successful original cast members, Marks’s time in TOWIE led him on a lucrative journey to become a TV presenter in Hollywood. Before jetting off to LA, Mark, who dated Lauren Goodger, Lucy Mecklenburgh and Sam Faiers, took part in the 2011 series of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and the 2015 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

He also presented Take Me Out: The Gossip. After returning from LA in early 2019 after almost two years away, he’s now focusing on other TV projects and catching up on lost time with wife Michelle Keegan, who he wed in May 2015. Speaking recently about starting a family, Mark said looking forward to having kids in the future though they’re not in any rush. Mark is thought to be worth around £4 million.

Kirk Norcross

Following his time on TOWIE ,Kirk took a step away from the spotlight and is now working laying BT cables. ‘When I was on Towie I was known everywhere I went. I used to buy £70,000 Ferarris, £20,000 watches and £500 jeans — now I’m happy with a £20 pair from Topman,’ he told The Sun earlier this year.

He admitted he blew £300,000 in a single year after finding instant fame on the show. Kirk now has two children, Harry, two, and Violett, three, with girlfriend Dani Carr.

Lauren Goodger

Once famously engaged to Mark Wright, original TOWIE star Lauren left the show in 2012 only to return in 2016 to become a regular again. Lauren has launched her own range of tanning products, lashes and hair extensions under the name of Lauren’s Way. Like so many of her co-stars, she appeared in a number of other reality shows, including Dancing On Ice, In Therapy, Celebrity Big Brother and Celebs Go Dating. In 2016, Lauren started dating Joey Morrison but they later split amid claims he sent X-rated snaps to other women from his prison cell. Lauren has an estimated net worth of £2.1 million.

Lauren Pope

Lauren began her career as a DJ and went on to launch her hugely successful Hair Rehab business. Over the course of the show, Lauren dated a number of her fellow TOWIE stars, including Jon Clark, Kirk Norcross and Dan Edgar. Earlier this year she announced she was quitting TOWIE after nine years to focus on work and her relationship with banker boyfriend Tony Keterman.

Lucy Mecklenburgh

Lucy was a TOWIE series regular for three years before quitting to focus on her fitness brand Results With Lucy. She followed up her time on the ITVBe show with appearances on Tour De Celeb and BBC’s Tumble. Last month, Lucy got engaged to former Corrie star Ryan Thomas, who she met while filming Bear Grylls’ TV series Celebrity Island, during a romantic trip to Italy. She previously dated Mark Wright, Mario Falcone and gymnast Louis Smith.

Lydia Bright

Lydia and Arg split for good in 2016 after dating on and off for seven years. In 2016, Lydia appeared on The Jump and in summer 2017 she took part in Channel 4’s rebooted Crystal Maze. Lydia, who also dated ex-TOWIE star Tom Kilbey, runs online fashion brand Bella Sorella with her sister and also recently launched her own podcast series with her family. She met current boyfriend Lee Cronin in a club in Ibiza in 2017 and they bought a house together the following year. After a brief split earlier this year, they’re now back together and stronger than ever.

Maria Fowler

After quitting the show, Maria – who once shared a flat with Lauren Pope – launched a home renovation company called Project In A Village. She’s also a trained make-up artist and the managing director of Fierce Face makeup. In September 2016, Maria welcomed a baby daughter with partner Kelvin Bate. The pair are due to wed this year.

Nanny Pat

Much-loved Nanny Pat, who was the grandmother of cast members Mark and Jessica Wright and mother to Carol Wright, was famous for her sausage plaits and funny one-liners. Nanny Pat sadly died in 2015 just weeks after celebrating her 80th birthday on the ITVBe show.

Series 24: TOWIE newbies and TOWIE cast regulars

A fresh batch of stars joined the 2019 line-up, including the likes of hunky footballer Harry Lee, personal trainer Tom McDonnell, 20-year-old model Jayden Beales, 18-year-old blonde bombshell Kelsey Stratford and mum and daughter duo, Chloe and Clare Brockett.

The series also saw the welcome return of regulars Georgia Kousoulou, who first joined the show in 2014, and boyfriend Tommy Mallett. While most TOWIE romances crashed and burned, the pair have been in a relationship for four years.

Hunky Dan Edgar, who joined the series in 2015, was also back for series 24, for explosive scenes with Chloe Sims, who has been on the show since the second series.

Other regulars include Pete Wicks, James ‘Diags’ Bennewith, Courtney Green, Chloe Meadows, Bobby-Cole Norris, Liam Blackwell, Sam Mucklow and Shelby Tribble.

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