Lauren Goodger claims ‘set up’ TOWIE scenes with ex Mark Wright made her ‘look crazy because he treated her terribly for his bad boy storyline’

Lauren Goodger claims certain TOWIE scenes with her ex Mark Wright were ‘staged’ to make him seem like a ‘bad boy’.

The former couple began dating when they were teenagers, long before the ITVBe reality series aired, and their on-again, off-again relationship has been extensively documented on the show.

In a revealing interview, Lauren, 37, who finally split from him in 2012, revealed how the storylines made her feel “crazy” when she thought back to her first love.

Speaking to dating expert Paul Carrick Brunson on his podcast We Need To Talk, the TV personality admitted that Mark was “a good person and a good partner” but was forced to date other girls for the show.

Speaking of her grief, she began, “We had cameras on us, we had the press… “bad boy Mark.”

The former couple began dating when they were teenagers, long before the ITVBe reality series launched. Their on-again, off-again relationship was extensively documented on the show (pictured in 2011)

Lauren continued: ‘He wasn’t a bad boy, that’s just how they [The Only Way Is Essex] depicted him.

“What I find very difficult is that there were indeed difficult times. I’m not saying it wasn’t difficult, but it wasn’t all bad on his part.

‘He was a good person and a good partner, but they say “he treated you terribly” – that was just for show. We’d do a scene and then go home and have tea and biscuits.

He would arrive with another girl [on camera] but actually he came with me.

‘Then it got a little complicated because people were like, “He’s seeing this and that,” while I was like, “No, we got together, she’s just doing it to be on the show.”

‘That was hard for me because I was trying to be understanding and just film and show the viewers this story, but not say, “Wait a minute, he didn’t come with her!” Then it looks like I’m crazy!’

During their relationship, Mark was portrayed as a womaniser on TOWIE, following his affairs with co-stars Sam Faiers and Lucy Mecklenburgh.

Lauren believes the ‘love’ childhood sweethearts share never ‘ends’ and she is ‘proud’ of the way Mark has developed from reality star to TV presenter.

In a revealing interview, Lauren, 37, who divorced him for good in 2012, told how the storylines made her feel “crazy” when she thought back to her first love

Speaking to dating expert Paul Carrick Brunson on his podcast, the TV personality admitted that Mark was “a good person and a good partner” but was forced to date other girls for the show

Mark married former Coronation Street actress Michelle Keegan over nine years ago and the couple live together in a country house in Essex, complete with gym and outdoor pool. The Heart Radio presenter spent months renovating it.

Lauren revealed that Mark promised her he would build their first home together before he married actress Michelle.

The TOWIE star recalls her ex-boyfriend talking to her about his dreams for the future and how she longed for marriage and children during their decades-long romance.

But Lauren says she had to watch as Mark achieved his goal of building a home from scratch with his wife Michelle, whom he married nine years ago.

Despite her desire for a civilized relationship with her ex, Lauren claims the former couple do not speak to each other, even though they go to the same gym and see each other often.

Lauren said, ‘I remember one time he took me to a place near where we lived and said, “I’m going to buy a house and I’m going to build it. Do you want to do that?”

“Of course, because I want children in it and I want to get married. And he did it, but he moved on. It’s not with me.”

Lauren believes the ‘love’ shared between childhood sweethearts never ‘goes away’ and she is ‘proud’ of the way Mark has developed from reality star to TV presenter (pictured in 2010)

Mark married former Coronation Street actress Michelle Keegan over nine years ago and the couple live together in a mansion in Essex

Despite her more recent romances, including with her ex-boyfriend Charles Drury, who is the father of her daughter Larose, Lauren admits Mark was the love of her life

Lauren added: ‘I don’t think the kind of love from my childhood goes away.

“I’m happy for him. I don’t have those feelings now, today, but I’m proud of him and he probably doesn’t even know it because the media has written so many things and he probably thinks it’s coming from me. I’ve never really talked about him that much.”

Despite her more recent romances, including with ex-boyfriend Charles Drury, the father of her daughter Larose, Lauren admits Mark was the love of her life.

Lauren said, “I never thought I would ever love anyone else. I was with him for 12 years, on and off. He was the love of my life. We wouldn’t have stayed together for so long if he hadn’t felt that way about me.”

MailOnline has contacted a representative for TOWIE for comment.