WEIGHT had never been an issue for Lauren Goodger. That is, until she became one of the most popular faces on television.

Now the star of The Only Way Is Essex, 27, has not only lived an emotional and physical rollercoaster since appearing on the reality show since it burst onto our screens in 2010, but she is seeking professional help to get her weight under control.

“I had never been told I was fat,” says Lauren. “I had always considered myself normal. I was about a size 10, sexy, curvy girl who felt great.

And then I came into a reality television show and things changed.

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“People started commenting on my looks,”she says. “They would post things on the internet and if I looked good in pictures people would comment on it and tweet about it and the pressure of being in the spotlight and the media started. People wanted me to be a size eight butIwas one of the older cast members and shorter and curvier.”

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Lauren admits her weight has always fluctuated. Before her celebrity days the star says she was between a size 10 and 12 and she could lose weight just as easily as she had put it on. But when filming began, losing the weight was not so easy.

She explains: “Before the showIhad a routine.Iused to wake up at the same time every day, went to work, went to the gym, I ate my meals at set times.

When we were filming there was no routine. We were drinking, eating anything.

“The lifestyle gave me more time when we weren’t filming, but when we were I would be eating McDonald’s at 2am. I went up a dress size to 12. But I didn’t feel dreadful but at the same time I did because everyone was watching me. There would be some scenes where I thought I looked good and others where I looked awful and I began wearing clothes that would cover my arms and other bits I didn’t like.

“The paps at clubs would take unflattering pictures of my behind.

“NowIjust want to feel better about myself. I want to stabilise my weight so I’m not fluctuating and also help my confidence.”

Since hitting the spotlight Lauren has been hit with a string of devastations.

She announced two years ago that she had aborted exboyfriend and Towie co-star Mark Wright’s baby before the couple were on the show. They chose not to have the baby because she was just 20 and they were not settled.

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Then when the couple split after a ten-year on-off relationship two years ago, bitter tweets between the pair and lots of press coverage left her devastated.

Some articles claimed Mark had told Lauren she should lose weight.

Now Lauren says she wants to develop her confidence and get her weight back to what it was and stabilise.

She had heard about Harley Street hypnotherapist Susan Hepburn from other celebrities including Nigella Lawson.

Helping clients with a range of problems including weight loss, smoking and depression, Lauren praises Susan’s methods as “brain massage”.

Lauren laughs: “Rather than just doing a diet and having a personal trainer,I want to stabilise my emotions too.

“I want to feel better about myself and in the first couple of sessions I have had with Susan I have been able to talk through what I want to achieve.

“She is so sweet and has such a soft voice, she is very relaxing.

“It’s like having a brain massage and I just warmed to her.

”I need that support rather than just a personal trainer and nutritionist telling me what to do and what to eat.”

Since leaving her Towie days behind her Lauren says women she has met at events have been full of praise about her weight.

Lauren, talking just moments before a photoshoot, says: “They tell me I am just normal and that I look amazing.

“I am not naive.I want to be fitter and slimmer and I want to fit into the clothes I used to wear before all this started.

“I am a bit nervous but the more sessions I attend the better I’ll feel.”