BURSTING on to the scene in 2010, they quickly hooked the nation with snappy catchphrases, complex love triangles, and fiery catfights.
And more than a decade later, many of the original stars of The Only Way Is Essex have gone on to even bigger and better things.
The original cast of TOWIE included Mark Wright, Sam Faiers, Lauren Goodger, and Kirk Norcross
The stars of TOWIE at the launch of the series in 2010
Sisters Sam and Billie Faiers, Mark Wright, Lauren Goodger, and Lucy Mecklenburgh have all branched out from the ITV2 reality show in the years since – but others opted to shun the limelight.
As a new series of TOWIE kicks off this week, we take a look at what became of some of its OG stars.
Kirk Norcross
Kirk has ditched fame to focus on his business
Cheeky lad Kirk, 34, was the ultimate Essex playboy and was a mainstay on the show until he left after the third season in 2011, returning briefly in later series.
In 2012, he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother but was evicted after just 16 days.
Kirk was forced to apologise on Twitter the following year after X-rated pictures of him were leaked on the internet.
These days, he has ditched his extravagant lifestyle and runs his own jet wash company called KN Jet Services.
Kirk with his son Harry
He has two children from previous relationships: Violett and Harry, both five.
He has been romantically linked to a number of celebrities, including Jemma Lucy, Holli Willis, and Vicky Pattison who he dated for two years.
Earlier this year, he became an ambassador for Papyrus, which works to prevent young suicides.
It follows the death of his father, Mick, who took his own life last year.
He is now in a relationship with Tanika Watkins and believes she was sent to him by his father “for a reason”.
Maria Fowler
Maria Fowler is now living a low-key life as a blogger
Maria with her husband and two daughters
After leaving TOWIE following series three, Maria Fowler moved into the business world and set up make-up brush brand Fierce Face.
Maria, 36, has also become a blogger and often shares snaps of her home renovations on Instagram.
In 2019, she married motocross racer Kelvin Batey and the two share two daughters together – Evie, five and Nellie, one.
After the birth of Nellie last year, Maria bravely shared candid pictures of her giving birth via C-section and encouraged women to share their “imperfect” birth stories.
She has previously opened up about her mental health struggles and shared that she had attempted suicide in 2013.
Elliott Wright
Elliott Wright got his own spin-off series
As the cousin of Mark and Jess Wright, Elliott, 42, appeared on TOWIE in a recurring role for seven years.
After his time on the show ended, he starred in a six-part series called Playa in Marbella as the main cast member.
In 2015, he became a contestant on ITV’s Get Your Act Together but failed to win the show.
On April 28 last year, Elliot was devastated when his restaurant in Marbella called Olivia’s La Cala was set on fire by an arsonist.
Elliott with his wife Sadie and their children
He later shared how he was able to rebuild the restaurant in the space of six weeks.
In 2017, he married Sadie Stuart in Bromley and had the ceremony documented in a two-part series called Elliot And Sadie: The Wedding on ITVBe.
He shares sons Billy and Elliot Jr with Sadie and has a daughter called Olivia from a previous relationship.
In March last year, his father, Eddie tragically died eight weeks after contracting Covid-19.
Candy Jacobs
Candy worked behind the bar of Sugar Hut for season one
Candy was seen working behind the bar at Sugar Hut for only one season.
She had some interactions with club owner Mick and colleague Michael, but never had a major storyline.
After her short-lived stint on TOWIE, she worked as as a studio curator for Rehab Agency, a creative technology firm.
Although she has kept a low profile since leaving the show, we know she married photographer Marc Hayden in 2014.
According to reports, they have a daughter together called Havana.
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