‘I survived because I had no choice’: Towie’s Lauren Goodger on tragedy, trolls and reality TV

I walk past Lauren Goodger’s house twice trying to get my bearings before I spot it: a gleaming Range Rover, with a personalised licence plate. It’s the only trace of reality TV stardom on the Romford cul-de-sac where Goodger, 37, lives with her three-year-old daughter, Larose.When the door swings open to reveal a woman in tiny black shorts and a matching tank top I ask, reflexively: “Are you Lauren?” and instantly feel foolish. It’s a ridiculous question. Goodger is one of the most-photographed celebrities in the UK today, a staple of tabloid newspapers and gossip magazines since The Only Way Is Essex (Towie) first appeared on our screens in 2010, and in so doing, created the enormously influential genre of structured reality TV.Inside, Goodger, who returned to the show this year for the first time since 2016, apologises for the non-existent mess and tells me how nervous she is to be meeting me – she never usually does interviews without a sign-off on what will be…