Her well-publicised life and times have seen some highs and lows.
And on Lauren Goodger’s 31st birthday on Tuesday she was feeling particularly reflective of her tough year, which she admits had featured highs and lows, as a lengthy Instagram post detailed her struggles.
Her birthday thoughts come after she spoke to New! magazine about the demise of her relationship with her jailbird ex Joey Morrisson, as she admitted his move to a high security prison culminated in their heartbreaking split.
Mulling things over: On Lauren Goodger’s 31st birthday on Tuesday she was feeling particularly reflective of her tough year, which she admits had featured highs and lows, as a lengthy Instagram post detailed her struggles
On Tuesday, Lauren took to Instagram to give her 778,000 followers an insight into what she has been through in the past 12 months – undoubtedly with heavy emphasis on her 18-month relationship with the imprisoned convict.
She penned: ‘Midnight which means it’s “My Birthday” And it’s another year down… looking back at this year.. I’ve grown , I’ve learnt, I’ve experienced different things for good and bad reasons , I’ve struggled at times, I’ve hit highs and lows…
‘One thing I do know is that my heart and my intentions are pure and no one can ever judge me on that and I’m going make sure this one is a good one…
‘Use everything I’ve learnt and as long as I do good and be kind I don’t really care where I end up #19thseptember #mybirthday #virgo #goodyear #goodger #loyal’.
Heartbreaking: Her birthday thoughts come after she spoke to New! magazine about the demise of her relationship with her jailbird ex Joey Morrisson, as she admitted his move to a high security prison culminated in their heartbreaking split
Serious stuff: On Tuesday, Lauren took to Instagram to give her 778,000 followers an insight into what she has been through in the past 12 months – undoubtedly with heavy emphasis on her 18-month relationship with the imprisoned convict
Away from her positive thoughts, Lauren explained to the magazine that after Joey’s sentence was extended following an incident behind bars and feels like she’s finally back to her old self now they’re over.
She said: ‘You lose your identity because you’re not on your own and you’re in a two. You’re not as strong anymore. Especially when you’re with someone inside.’
The former TOWIE star was hoping her and Joey would be reunited this year but was forced to reconsider their relationship when she found out she’d have to wait longer.
She explained: ‘It wasn’t a sudden decision, it was months and months of it getting harder. Joey was meant to come out in November last year and if he had done, things would have been very different. But he suffered a knock back inside and was moved to a high security prison.
Tough times: Away from her positive thoughts, Lauren explained to the magazine that after Joey’s sentence was extended following an incident behind bars and feels like she’s finally back to her old self now they’re over
‘His sentence was extended and I was told he could be inside for another year. That was hard because I’d been with him for a while but he’d had day release so we could walk around the grounds and sit on a bench together.
‘When he was moved to high security, his day release was cut and our visits became more formal. It was really sad and we would row because of the pressure of the environment. It changed the whole relationship for me.’
And Lauren noticed a change in Joey – who was convicted for a string of offences, including possession of a firearm, kidnapping, blackmail and actual bodily harm – too.
Tougher days: ‘His sentence was extended and I was told he could be inside for another year. That was hard because I’d been with him for a while but he’d had day release so we could walk around the grounds and sit on a bench together’