Lauren Goodger was secretly dating her ex-boyfriend Jake McLean until just two years before his sudden death over the weekend.
Jake, 33, was tragically killed in a car crash in Turkey while riding with TOWIE star Yazmin Oukhellou, who was left with serious injuries but is “recovering” in hospital.
Lauren and Jake were on and off publicly for four years after meeting in 2012 and were expecting a child together in 2013 before Lauren suffered a miscarriage.
Long lasting love: Lauren Goodger was secretly dating her ex-boyfriend Jake McLean until just two years before his sudden death over the weekend
However, it has since been revealed that Lauren and Jake were romantically linked until 2020, when she started dating current boyfriend Charles Drury.
An insider told the Sun that they “kept rekindling their romance and really loved each other,” only ending when she rekindled her romance with Charles.
Friends close to Lauren told M that the pregnant mother-of-one was “devastated” by Jake’s untimely death.
The mother of one Lauren, who is expecting her second child with Charles, 24, broke her silence about the shock death on her Instagram page Monday.
Shock: Jake, 33, was tragically killed in a car crash in Turkey while riding with TOWIE star Yazmin Oukhellou, who was left with serious injuries but is “recovering” in hospital.
Sharing a brief message of condolences on her stories, Lauren wrote: “RIP Jake I’m at a loss for words right now. My thoughts are with your family and friends.’
Jake’s on/off girlfriend and Lauren’s former TOWIE co-star Yazmin, 28, was also injured in the accident.
M revealed that Yazmin is in “stable” condition following the car crash that killed Jake McLean in the early hours of Sunday.
A spokeswoman for Yazmin told M on Monday evening: “Yazmin is stable and recovering in hospital after surgery. Yazmin and her family have requested privacy at this time.’
Brave face: Following news of her late partner’s death, Lauren looked somber on Sunday as she ran errands with her 11-month-old daughter Larose
The reality star’s mum has flown to Turkey to be by her daughter’s side as she recovers from allegedly serious arm injuries.
Yazmin had traveled to Bodrum, Turkey last week to join Jake who was said to be there on business.
Friends reported that the couple were in the “best place” before the businessman tragically died in a car accident.
Former Romance: On Monday, Lauren expressed her sadness at Jake’s death, writing, “RIP Jake. I have no words right now’
Speechless: The TV star wrote: “My thoughts are with your family and friends” and ended her tribute with a broken heart and an angel emoji
They believed they weren’t far from getting engaged after reconciling their relationship earlier this year.
Following news of her late partner’s death, Lauren looked somber on Sunday as she was spotted running errands with her 11-month-old daughter Larose.
Lauren previously revealed that she suffered a miscarriage after trying to have a baby with Jake while competing on Dancing On Ice in 2013.
Sharing her heartbreak on Channel 5’s In Therapy, the reality star explained: “I’ve been on a pretty intense TV show. I had to try to perform when I was pretty far away. It didn’t last’.
Heartbreaking: Jake’s on/off girlfriend and Lauren’s former TOWIE colleague Yazmin, 28, was also injured in the accident
Lauren said: “I’m the type of person who moves on when something happens. That’s me. It’s not something I addressed.
She told the therapist that she didn’t take the time to grieve and said, “No, I just moved on.”
In 2019, Lauren reportedly felt “betrayed and upset” after her close friend Yazmin started dating Jake.
A source told Closer: “Yaz was someone she opened up to about Jake so it feels like a blow to her going behind her back and going out with him because she knows how upset that would make Lauren.
“She doesn’t want to have a big showdown with Yaz but she has told friends she can’t see them being friends again. She is heartbroken.”
Jake and Yazmin have been on an on-off romance and it’s not known when they rekindled their relationship this year – having previously announced they were splitting in January.
The Sun reports that Jake was in Turkey for a business deal and Yazmin had joined him in the tourist resort of Bodrum over the past few days.
Shocking: Photos of Jake’s overturned car surfaced Monday, with the vehicle lying on its roof in tall grass while paramedics and police officers worked nearby at the scene
A source said: “Apparently Jake was driving when he lost control of the car and it crashed off a cliff.”
Another insider added to M: “It is a complete tragedy and a total loss of life. Everyone is in shock and hoping Yazmin makes a full recovery.
Sources have told the publication that Yazmin sustained “extremely severe” damage to her arm in the crash.
“Jake and Yaz are both well known in our circles and while he wasn’t a saint it’s just incredibly tragic. Everyone is stunned.”
‘They were so close’: Yazmin and Jake were in ‘the best place’ before the businessman tragically died in a car accident
Another actor said: “Nobody’s quite sure what they’re doing out there, we thought they were breaking up but apparently he was involved in some sort of business.
“But whatever happened, it’s just heartbreaking. It sounds very, very serious, maybe life changing.’
Dramatic photos have emerged of rescue workers at the scene of the fatal car crash near the Aegean tourist town of Bodrum, lying on their roof amid knee-high grass in the dark on Sunday night.
The car’s front and rear doors are open and the lights are on while rescue workers stand nearby, peering inside with flashlights.
Exes: Yazmin and Jake have been on and off since May 2021 after the TOWIE star ended her longtime relationship with James Lock (pictured August 2020)
Jake was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in 2008 after sneaking into a mother’s home and overpowering her before a masked gang stormed in and raided the family home.
He reportedly snuck into the property pretending to be a real estate agent.
Jake, then 18, was part of a six-person gang. The other five members ran into the house with imitation pistols and threatened to kill their victims if they yelled for help.
He is believed to have served only half of his sentence and has since been in prison on other convictions. In 2018, he shared Instagram posts wearing leg shields.
Reports: It is believed that Jake’s car went down a hill at high speed and went off the road around a bend before overturning
In 2013, Lauren, who met her former lover via Twitter, admitted she was aware of Jake’s criminal convictions but was willing to police his wrongdoings.
She said: “Jake told me about his past. I could see how much he regretted his actions. I try to take people as I find them.”
Yazmin and Jake have been on an off-again basis since May 2021 after the TOWIE star named TOWIE ended her longtime relationship with TOWIE co-star James Lock, 35.
Terrible: Jake’s vehicle went off the road and plunged 10 feet into a ravine (circled in red in image), killing him and injuring his partner Yazmin
Yazmin moved to Dubai to be with Jake last year after leaving ITV show TOWIE.
But the reality favorite ended her romance with Jake in January after discovering he had been unfaithful to former Love Island contestant Ellie Jones.
Sources close to Yazmin say her relationship with Jake has been “pretty toxic at times.”
It is not known when the couple reconciled and why they are in Turkey, with Yazmin last sharing a photo of himself in London on Tuesday.
Comeback: Yazmin was set to return to TOWIE this year after filming with the cast in the Dominican Republic last month