Ten years ago, Team Fake Bake were having a sit down, as we’d just watched our first episode of TOWIE. We had heard rumours that a new reality juggernaut was approaching, and when it hit, we were locked in immediately. It was the first show of its type in the UK, and before long was soon joined by others that we also know and love.
But TOWIE was an absolute original and
still is. It is has turned many of its cast members into household names, but
at the time, when it was fresh and new,
Fake Bake jumped straight in and got tanning everyone in sight. The country
went Essex mad, and suddenly, everyone wanted to know more. From the dramas
with the royal family of Essex, the
Wrights, add in the Brights, and the stage was set for a decade’s worth of
storylines.
Original Essex superstar Amy Childs
got her own spot in Vogue. Even the ultimate fashion bible wanted in on the
action…
Fake Bake faves Sam and Billie Faiers
have gone on to great heights with ITVBe’s The Mummy Diaries.
Lydia and Debbie became superstars
due to their warmth and were part of what made TOWIE great…
We’ve looked
back on some of our favourite TOWIE scenarios - one thing we love about the
show is that we literally relate.
In no particular order we’ve picked
10 of our We’ve All Been There TOWIE
moments….
The ‘revenge is a dish best served
with a tan’ moment: Lucy takes over Marbs
Cast your
mind back. Lucy had split up with Mario, again! The gang were out in Marbs,
where Lucy and Mario had gotten engaged the year before. Mario was partying up
a storm. Lucy was nowhere to be seen. And then, right in the middle of a beauty
pageant (as you do!) in strolls the gorgeous Luce, with new hair, a gorge LV tote and a whole new attitude.
Every jaw hit the floor. Unmissable.
(Mario is
now totally happy and a new dad and Lucy is due to have a baby with fiance Ryan
Thomas!)
The ‘thanks for ruining my birthday
and my holiday’ moment: Megan confronts Pete
These two
had all the makings of a classic TOWIE couple
and Pete had just showered Megs with birthday gifts, including a killer watch.
And along comes a string of texts and, well, the new power couple lost their
sparkle. We’ve all had moments like this one, and even though it’s a reality
show, this was one totally genuine scene.
(Pete is
still part of the cast and we love his mellowing charm. Megan is now wowing us
every Saturday on Celebrity X Factor!)
The ‘stop trying to put me in the
corner’ moment: Lauren’s pool party push
The show’s
first ever pool party and first ever almost break up lives on. After a series
of brewing trouble between teenage sweethearts Mark and Lauren, after a day of
sitting indoors whilst her fella was off mixing with every gorgeous girl in the
county, Lauren got dressed up, showed up, and pushed him right in the water.
Feisty and funny.
(Mark’s
career has gone inter-stellar and he’s happily married to actress Michelle
Keegan. Lauren is reality TV royalty!)
The ‘I had the evidence all along’
moment: Kate brings out the voice notes
Back in the
day, evidence was rare. This moment taught us all that evidence is everywhere.
And what a talking point online evidence has been this week...
(Kate is now
Mrs. Ferdinand. What a love story…..)
The ‘making a first entrance’ moment:
Chloe Lewis in head-to-toe white
Possibly the
most elegant cast member of the last decade, Chloe Lewis walked into TOWIE with a swish of glossy hair, and
everyone stood taller. On a break at the time from long term boyfriend Jake
Hall, Chloe immediately grabbed everyone’s attention and certainly made her
mark. A class act in every way.
(Jake is now
a successful fashion designer and dad and Chloe is about to become a mum for
the first time!)
The ‘it really is over’ moment: Jess
takes back her power
Our absolute
fave Jess absolutely killed it when she confronted then boyfriend Ricky, and
walked away with her head held high, and not a tear in sight. Royalty for a
reason.
(We still
love working with Jess and she’s growing her business empire as we write!)
The ‘get me back big gesture’ moment:
Charlie goes in for Ferne
This is a
classic TOWIE moment. A romance hits
the rocks, and then one of the half steps forward to win back the other. It
doesn’t always mean a dazzling future, but it makes for great telly.
(Ferne now
has her own ITVBe series and remains as funny and spirited as ever….)
The ‘show him what he’s missing out
on’ moment: Gemma candies Arg
Nobody
dishes up drama like the GC and in this moment she delivered her now legendary
line and stuck up for wronged women everywhere.
(What can we
say about Gemma? She is seriously taking over the world…)
The ‘never fall out with your mum
again’ moment: Lydia and Debbie make up
Arg’s
devotion to Lydia’s mum, Debbie, was a long running theme in TOWIE and we loved their regular catch
ups, but after Lydia and Debs had a little tiff over it, their only one during
years together on the show, the two were reunited with lots of tears. A quick
reminder that mums come first, and a lesson in unconditional love.
(Debbie
continues to foster after officially becoming Mrs. Bright, and Lydia is about
to welcome her first child into the world. Awwww!)
The ‘stealing the limelight from
everyone in the room’ moment: Nanny Pat
We could not
in all faith talk about great TOWIE moments
without mentioning the legendary Nanny Pat. She first arrived on the scene
holding that infamous sausage plait, and was the voice of reason right up until
her last episode. Brilliant fun, and a shoulder for everyone to cry on, we miss
her. At her 80th Birthday party, she stole the show, as she always did. A
lesson in why a great nanna is priceless.
And
throughout these 25 seasons we’ve been kept busy tanning the great and the good
of Essex. And we are keeping up our great work…
Our gal Eloise, a.k.a. The Tan Expert has been
creating her usual, flawless looks and Fake
Bake Darker has been her tanning weapon of choice…
On the very beautiful Shelby
On the gorgeous and glowing Clelia
On the fabulously chic Jess
And one of
our other best ‘Elite’ tanners, Roxanne
of Rox Tans, is always on hand to create bespoke glows for those in the
beauty know. Also a Fake Bake Darker fan,
she always creates a spectacular skin finish….
On fiercely stunning Georgia
We are
absolutely loving this season so far. While the newbies like Chloe B are
settling in properly, and more experienced cast members bring us familiar doses
of reality every Sunday, we always wonder - can they bring more drama? The
answer is, they always do. And rumours are sparking everywhere as to who might
turn up next year, when the show marks a true decade on our screens, and we
hope the team at ITVBe go all out to bring back our favourite faces.
TOWIE has come a long way from vajazzling
but it’s the everyday stories of relationships and friendships and family that
have us tuning in every single episode. And, of course, this is a county where
it doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life, you’ve got to turn up suitably
attired and glamorously presented.
Whatever the
weather, a tan is an absolute requirement. Anything else? Well, it’s more than
muggy, mate.
To find out more about
Fake Bake go to www.fakebake.co.uk
Image of Amy Childs
courtesy of British Vogue
All stills courtesy of
ITVBe and ITV2
You can follow The Tan
Expert on Insta @thetanexpert
You can follow Rox Tans
on Insta @rox_tans
The Only Way Is Essex
is on every Sunday evening on ITVBe
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