Babes!! We’ve had the pleasure of watching the only way is Essex for over 10 years now, stars have come and gone. There have been unexpected relationships, brawls and of course, the queen of Essex herself – The GC bringing us the drama. Since the show began, a LOT has changed – babies, engagements, spin-off shows. I am all for it! The next generation are all growing up now and although some may not be in the spotlight currently… will they find themselves following in their parent’s footsteps later in life?
Amy Childs
Amy was one of the first big names that soared into fame after the show aired back in 2010. She was and continues to be, one of the most well-known stars from TOWIE, despite only staying on the show for one season. She made a notable trademark with her catchphrase “Oh, Shut up!”
After only a year, Amy quit the show and decided to take on other endeavours such as modelling, column writing and TV Work such as Celebrity Big Brother, This Morning, Celebs go dating etc. She continued to surface as a household name, appearing on a wide variety of shows over the years.
In 2017, Amy took on a completely new endeavour – motherhood. On the 30th April, she welcomed a baby girl with ex-partner Bradley Wright. We now know her daughter as Polly.
The following year, she welcomed her son with ex-partner and businessman, Ritchie. We now know her son as Ritchie Jr.
In 2020, with the announcement of the 10-year-special for TOWIE, Amy returned. She was said to have reappeared on the show in a bid to regain her confidence. She was inundated with questions and comments after choosing to show Polly but not Ritchie on the special. In response to the questions, Amy explained that “Basically me and Ritchie’s dad agreed together not to put Ritchie on social media or TOWIE”
Sam Faiers
Another original cast member, Sam Faiers has also had a drastic change to life over the past decade. TOWIE fans grew to adore Sam over the four years that she was on the show – completely engaging themselves with her life. Over her years in the series, she has been wrapped up in many stories of love, drama and found herself at the centre of many arguments… something that fans LOVED.
Sam left the show in 2014, following the footsteps of Amy and taking on a series of Celebrity Big Brother. It was in the big brother house that she began to feel unwell and struggled to keep food down – this later led to the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease.
The following year, Sam shared the wonderful news that she was pregnant with her first child with her current boyfriend Paul. Later that year, she gave birth to a son, who she named Paul Tony Knightley. In 2016, she then announced that she would be sharing her journey of motherhood with a spin-off show called “Sam Faiers: The Baby Diaries”.
Another year later and the couple welcomed their second child, completing their family of four. On the 11th of November 2017, they announced the arrival of their daughter, Rosie.
Billie Faiers
When Billie joined the show as a regular cast member in season two, she was often overlooked as ‘Sam’s sister’. That outlook quickly developed over the seasons however as the sister’s personalities could be very much distinguished from one another. Billie lasted an extra two years after Sam left TOWIE, but not long after, she followed in her younger sister’s footsteps.
She had given birth to her daughter two years before the birth of Sam’s first. Billie’s daughter, Nelly was born in 2014, a monumental year for her, alongside a proposal from partner Greg Shepherd. She then began appearing in Sam’s show before it was reformatted as “Sam & Billie: The mummy diaries” in Season three.
In 2017, she gave birth to her second child, Arthur, completing their family. Their family life has been shared with the nation through the TV show and the Faiers sisters have been continually applauded for their openness to sharing the difficulties involved with being a parent.
Kirk Norcross
Kirk was one of the original TOWIE ‘lads’, conveyed as a party animal and ladies man. However, he has revealed in recent years that the three series that he appeared on the show, held some of the darkest moments in his life.
In 2019, he made a heartbreaking confession that during his time on the show, he had tried to take his own life after struggling with anxiety and depression. He said that the show had forced him into an alter-ego life in which he was pushed to behave like someone that he didn’t even recognise.
Kirk quit the show after the third season and similarly to his predecessors, went on to take other TV opportunities such as Celebrity Big Brother.
In 2016, Kirk became a father for the first time with his ex-partner Holli gave birth to their daughter, Violett.
The following year, new partner Danielle gave birth to the stars second child, Harry. Kirk is now content with his life away from fame and enjoys spending his time running a jet-washing business and being a father.
Maria Fowler
Maria was a regular cast member for three seasons until she was dropped in 2011. Fowler found herself in the midst of scandal whilst on the show and often exploited for drama, much to the pleasure of TOWIE fans.
However, in a post that she made on World Mental Health day in 2019, Maria shared the story of her own struggles. She spoke about how she had previously fought depression and also opened up about attempting to take her own life back in 2013. The pressure of fame was a struggle that almost took away her life but she battled on and shared her experience to hopefully help someone else.
In 2016, Maria gave birth to her first daughter, Evie. She shares her daughter with partner Kelvin Batey. Maria suffered throughout the pregnancy, needing crutches in the late stages due to Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction – a condition that causes pain in the pelvic region and is very common in pregnancy.
2020 saw the arrival of the couple’s second child, Nellie Maria Batey. The pregnancy and delivery appeared a lot easier for her this time around and the family were content with their new status as a ‘family-of-four’.
Chloe Sims
Chloe Sims is the longest-standing cast member of TOWIE, joining in season two and continuing up to the present day. She was originally cast in a supporting role but the audience loved her and she was quickly boosted up, earning regular appearances on our screen.
Chloe is a mum of one to her beautiful girl Madison, she split from her daughter’s father shortly after birth. Chloe was left by her mother at a young age and wanted to make sure the same never happened to her child, instead raising her as a single mother.
Chloe has been very honest and open about her struggles along the way with motherhood, speaking in the past about her daughter being diagnosed with ADHD and autism.
Madison is now sixteen and made her TOWIE debut in 2020.
Dan Osbourne
Previous to his TOWIE debut, Dan was in a relationship with primary school teacher Megan Tomlin, the pair share a son together, Teddy, who was born in 2013. They desperately tried to make the relationship work throughout the pregnancy and following but were unable to solve matters. The relationship was only strained further as he joined TOWIE.
He was in the series for two years until he was then fired in 2015. In the midst of the series, in 2014, Jacqueline (his current girlfriend at the time) announced that she was pregnant with Dan’s second child. She later gave birth to their daughter, Ella.
Dan and Jacqueline had a tumultuous relationship, facing many scandals and rumours along the way. The couple managed to break through the boundaries and defied all odds, staying together.
In 2017, their relationship went from strength to strength as they tied the knot and welcomed their latest addition, Mia.
Lucy Mecklenburgh
Lucy began her time on the show in season one, lasting for three years and ten seasons. During her time on the show, she faced a love triangle between herself, Mark Wright and Mario Falcone. She then got engaged to Mario on the show before the relationship inevitably broke down, she left the show the same year.
Since then, Lucy has taken on many projects, from TV to Fitness. It was on one of these projects, Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls in early 2017, that she met her current partner Ryan Thomas. The pair immediately clicked and hit it off.
After two years together, Ryan proposed when the pair took a romantic holiday to the Amalfi coast in Italy. Not long after, the loved-up couple announced their pregnancy.
Lucy gave birth to their son in March 2020, naming him Roman. He has recently celebrated his first birthday and the pair look more loved-up than ever.
Lydia Bright
Lydia, similarly to Chloe, was originally cast as a supporting member, intended for a small role. However, her on/off relationship with ex James ‘Arg’ Argent really caught the fan’s eyes and people became invested.
She quit and rejoined the show three times before leaving for good in 2017. The constant issues with her previous relationships and unenjoyable lifestyle led her to make the decision to end her stint on the show completely.
In 2019, she announced that she was expecting a child with her ex-partner Lee Cronin. Throughout the pregnancy, she prepared herself for what life would be like as a single mother, calling her friend and ex-castmate Lucy Mecklenburgh for advice. When Lucy and Lydia spoke to one another, they realised that they were both indeed pregnant and would give birth within close ranges of one another.
Lydia welcomed her daughter into the world on the 21st February 2020, via water birth. She named her baby girl Loretta Rose.
Ferne McCann
Ferne got her first shot at the limelight in 2012 when she was crowned winner of Miss Essex and got to the top 15 in Miss England. However, one year later saw her big debut in TOWIE. She lasted in the series for three years, making her last appearance in the seventeenth season of the show.
Following TOWIE, she made appearances on a variety of other television programmes. The most well-known of her other endeavours was in 2015, in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! She stormed up the ranks of social popularity following the programme and finished in third place.
After leaving TOWIE, she began a new relationship with former businessman and scaffolder, Arthur Collins. The pair split for a few months in late 2016 before rekindling things in early 2017. In April 2017, Ferne’s life was turned upside down as Arthur was arrested and later convicted for his role in an acid attack at a London nightclub.
Two days later, she bravely announced her pregnancy and revealed that she would be raising her child as a single parent. Later that year, she gave birth to her daughter, Sunday. In December 2017, Sunday’s father was convicted to 20 years in jail, with an additional five years on license.
Her life as a mum was shared on screen through a show called “Ferne McCann: First Time Mum” in which viewers got an insight into not only how Ferne handled motherhood but also how she dealt with all the extra stresses that had been handed to her. It was originally intended to be one-off special but due to demand, was continued.
The show is now heading for its seventh season in 2021 as it was recently confirmed.
Mario Falcone
Mario was a season three starter, making regular appearances and known largely for his tumultuous relationship with fellow cast member and ex, Lucy Mecklenburgh.
Their relationship and infidelity kept fans of the show engaged and clambering for more. He left the show in 2015, after sharing a statement that he appreciated the show and the opportunities that had been given but that he felt it was time to explore something new.
After his time on the show, Mario set his horizons on a new path. In 2016, he met his current partner Becky and after a whirlwind year, he proposed. He popped the question whilst on a romantic holiday to Santorini, Greece.
In 2018, the loved-up couple welcomed their first child, a son named Parker Jax.
Danielle Armstrong
Danielle joined the TOWIE crew back in 2013, she was loved by viewers for her fun and feisty personality. When she began dating fellow castmate, James Lock, fans of the show went crazy!
However, after three years on the show, it was the relationship with James that inevitably led to her finishing the show. It was said that she left the show in 2016 to attempt to move on from the relationship and find someone that she really wanted to settle down and have a life with.
Fast forward to 2019 where she found love with her current partner, Tom Edney. The pair had been friends for 22 years when they got together.
After they went official, only two months later, they announced the pregnancy of their first child. Whilst on a ‘baby moon’ to Dubai, Tom then proposed to Danielle.
Their daughter, Orla May, was welcomed into the world on 26th May 2020.
Lauren Pope
Joining the series back in 2011 and lasting for a total of 201 episodes, it’s fair to say that she has had a huge variety of storylines, romances and drama throughout her time on the show. Her initial storylines surrounded her relationship with ex, Kirk Norcross until he dumped her in season two.
The series followed her developing relationships closely as well as her on/off friendships with the girls of the group… particularly Chloe Sims!
Lauren decided that it was her time to up sticks in 2018, feeling that she no longer had any lasting friendships on the show.
Lauren began dating millionaire boyfriend Tony Keterman in 2019 and their relationship went from strength to strength. He boasted a modest 300 followers when he slid into Lauren’s DMs to ask her on a date. The modern way eh! The couple remained very very loved up and then Lauren announced her pregnancy.
The couple welcomed their daughter into the world on the 11th June 2020, she was named Raine Anais.
Shelby Tribble and Sam Mucklow
Shelby and Sam were quite late to the TOWIE game in comparison to the rest of this list, with both of them joining in 2018, but none the less, they made their mark.
Throughout their time on the show, the pair engaged in a close and flirtatious friendship – often squabbles here and there too! Confirmation of their relationship came in early 2019 when Shelby posted a picture of herself on social media and Sam commented ‘Mine’ with a heart.
Sam left the show in late 2019 and Shelby wasn’t too far behind him. They wanted to continue their budding relationship away from the pressures of the show.
In May 2020, they announced Shelby’s pregnancy, taking to social media to share the news. The pair welcomed their son, Abel Ashley, on the 15th November 2020.
That’s it for now… who knows what the next generation of little stars will bring. Who do you think will be the next TOWIE parent? DM us @thestudentaspect.