THE Only Way Is Essex saw the making of many a star – who are now among the richest celebrities in the UK.
The cast have raked in millions since appearing in the first episodes of the programme, which used be shown on a little-watched channel.
Towie’s cast are unlikely to have ever imagined how much money they would make
From Mark Wright to Joey Essex, Sam Faiers to Gemma Collins – the Towie lot have been cashing in on their success.
And while some of them are worth many millions – others have blown their entire fortunes on lavish lifestyles over the years.
Here, we look into the richest stars of The Only Way Is Essex.
Mark Wright (£12M)
Mark Wright turned Towie into a springboard to a world of big-money jobs
The star owns a fitness clothing range with actress wife Michelle Keegan
It’s estimated Mark’s riches stand at £12million – perhaps no surprise since he’d done every job going, from Hollywood TV presenter to football star.
His remarkable work rate has paid off too thanks to his Train Wright fitness website and the Mysa Active gymwear line he has with wife Michelle Keegan – who last year alone raked in £2.5mllion from her TV work.
The pair became the richest in television after the former The Only Way Is Essex star raked in a mammoth £2million last year.
Mark filed accounts with his company The Wright Look Models Ltd, revealing he had reserves of £2,057,780.
The couple have used their money recently to build a sprawling multi-million pound mega mansion in the Essex countryside.
The whopping property is said to be worth £3.5million.
Samantha Faiers (£9M)
Sam Faiers, seen here with sister Billie in 2011, was in the first ever episode of Towie
She is now a millionaire many times over and owner of a string of big businesses
The success of Sam’s show The Mummy Diaries has kept the money rolling in for the likeable star – and her older sister Billie.
She became a multi-millionaire long before she hit 30, having made just under £9million from TV and endorsement deals.
Sam, 32, left Towie in 2014, following it up with an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother and becoming sought-after by big business.
She launched clothing lines with River Island, Quiz and Very, has her own home furnishings line, a fragrance, a babywear collection and her own fashion range. So probably best not call her lazy.
The star also has a string of books – everything from a guide to being a ‘Towie’ girl to her new-mum secrets – worth at least £750,000 and she signed a £250,000 deal with Pampers in 2019.
Sam also founded Essex favourite Minnie’s Boutique, which Billie – who is worth £4million – now runs.
Joey Essex (£8M)
Joey Essex, here posing by his swimming pool with a snake at his 30th birthday
The 30-year-old star showed off his personalised Lamborghini on MTV’s Cribs
It probably suits Joey Essex that everyone thinks he’s a total airhead – because all the while he’s raking in a fortune.
As anyone who has seen his incredible house knows, the former Towie favourite, 32, is not short of a bob or two (or £8million).
He’s appeared on every reality show going from his own hit Educating Joey Essex to I’m A Celeb, Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity SAS and pretty much any show that ever had ‘Celebrity’ in the title.
And he most recently made it to the final of Dancing On Ice.
In the past he has had a clothing and hair products line and commands huge money for personal appearances.
Joey has also made six-figure sums by endorsing McDonalds, Jaffa Cakes and even soup and once released a song called Reem, though that’s not thought to be a big contributor to his riches.
Gemma Collins (£7M)
Gemma Collins, seen here in 2011, joined Towie in its third series
The star now has her own clothing line and a string of endorsement deals
The reality rich list puts Gemma Collins on an estimated £7.3million thanks to TV, endorsements and her own clothing line.
The 42-year-old former car dealer runs her own fashion empire, has a range with Boohoo and is renowned for landing big brand deals.
The ‘meme queen’ surprised everyone in 2017 when she popped up on Orange is the New Black to plug the show and has even been the face of an airline.
She’s fronted her own show Diva Forever and presented on Loose Women and This Morning over the years since Towie.
Her endlessly quotable TV appearances on the likes of Big Brother – “I’m claustrophobic Darren” have appeared on all manner of products.
Amy Childs (£5M)
Amy Childs on The Only Way Is Essex back when she was 20 in 2011
These days Amy is settled down with two children, boyfriend Tim, and a property empire
She gifted humanity the ‘vajazzle’ and popularised the word ‘hunny’ as a form of punctuation – and Amy Childs has been richly rewarded for it.
A founding Towie member, the 32-year-old star made a fortune from beauty and fashion ranges then ploughed the profits into property.
Taking the advice of other celebs early on to bank the cash in houses, she brought up chunks of Brentwood in Essex.
Add to that the sales of her fitness DVD and beauty salon and Amy is estimated to have about £5million, according to some reports.
Lucy Mecklenburgh (£3M)
Lucy originally joined the cast back in 2010
Lucy recently renovated her fifth property
Despite being part of The Only Way Is Essex’s original cast – Lucy, 31, looks to have made most of her money after the show.
Last year, it was revealed that the star and her fiance Ryan Thomas had bought their FIFTH property together.
Building an empire of homes, the mother-of-two also celebrated a £1m turnover with her lifestyle brand.
The online platforms offer fitness plans and dietary advice to fans as well as workouts, with books for 2020 showing a healthy leap in cash flowing into the firm.
Her fortune is now thought to total £3million.
Lauren Goodger (£2M)
Lauren, seen here at an event in 2019, was one of the first Towie millionaires
Her romance with Mark Wright made her a darling of the then-mighty gossip mags
Lauren Goodger was something of a Towie pioneer, becoming one of the first stars to make £1million thanks to filming.
Her relationship with Mark Wright, which played out on the show, was a magnet for magazine deals and her fame saw her land early gigs on Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing On Ice.
Rich list compilers estimated her current wealth at around £2million.
James ‘Arg’ Argent (£1M)
James ‘Arg’ Argent is thought to be a millionaire on the back of big brand deals
Like pal Mark Wright he is one of the original stars of The Only Way Is Essex
Gemma’s ex-boyfriend Arg has made no secret of his struggles, but he managed to bag a small fortune himself.
James is thought to have made £1million thanks to Instagram brand deals as well as stints on everything from Sugar Free Farm to The Jump and Celebrity Coach Trip.
However, after his stint in rehab and battle with drug addiction, it was thought that James had nearly “zero cash in the bank”.
In 2020, the ITV star’s company James Argent Ltd – that made £63,867 last year – had depleted all of its resources.
It came after James suffered two near-fatal overdoses at home and his door had to be kicked down for medics to save him.
He previously admitted his addiction problems often led to him missing work as they caused psychosis and paranoia and his cocaine binges put people off hiring him.
