Lauren Goodger has stepped into the middle of a growing online row involving the family of her ex-fiancé Mark Wright, after his sister Jess Wright faced fierce backlash over comments about thong bikinis.
The drama erupted following a recent episode of the Wright family podcast Wright At Home, where Jess appeared alongside her mother Carol Wright and sister Natalya Wright. During the discussion, the trio openly criticised the increasingly popular swimwear trend, branding thong-style bikinis “gross” and questioning why women would choose to wear them.
Jess made it clear she was not a fan of the look, admitting she disliked how common the style had become. She said she couldn’t stand how it was now considered acceptable to walk around the beach in a thong. She also revealed that her husband, William Lee-Kemp, shared the same opinion, explaining that he often told her he couldn’t understand how anyone thought the style was attractive. Jess added that people should “put it away and leave something to the imagination”, asking who would want to see so much on display.
Natalya joined in, suggesting that women who chose to wear thong bikinis should at least cover up when bending over. She joked that if someone was going to lean down to place their towel on a sunbed, they should at least throw on a sarong first.
Carol also backed up the criticism, saying she didn’t believe the look was sexy for men and insisted that mystery was far more appealing. She even recalled a holiday moment with her husband Mark Wright Sr, saying they had once seen several women walking ahead of them along a promenade wearing the style. According to Carol, her husband had looked at the scene and remarked that it didn’t even look sexy.
The comments quickly spread across TikTok, triggering a wave of criticism online. Many social media users accused the Wright family of being judgemental and out of touch, while others branded the remarks “degrading” toward women.
Some women responded by posting videos of themselves proudly wearing thong bikinis in protest. Others pointed out what they saw as hypocrisy, sharing old photos of Jess from her reality TV days on The Only Way Is Essex in similarly revealing swimwear.
One user wrote bluntly that she didn’t dress for Jess’s husband, while another joked that anyone who watched Jess on TOWIE would remember she had worn plenty of barely-there outfits herself.
The backlash soon drew in other reality stars. Current TOWIE personality Dani Imbert joined the conversation by posting a TikTok video of herself confidently walking along a beach wearing thong bikini bottoms. She used audio from the Wright family podcast and appeared to embrace the style defiantly.
It didn’t take long for Lauren Goodger, who dated Mark Wright on and off for 12 years and was once engaged to him during their TOWIE days, to publicly show her support. Commenting under Dani’s video, Lauren wrote simply: “I LOVE this wow.”
Dani responded warmly to the message, replying: “I love you my icon.”
Fans quickly flooded the comments, many celebrating Lauren’s appearance in the discussion. Several declared themselves firmly on “Team Lauren,” while others criticised the Wright family and praised Dani for pushing back against the remarks.
One follower said Lauren’s comment made the entire post even better, while another remarked that they couldn’t believe Lauren had managed to put up with the Wright family for so many years.
As the controversy continued to build online, Jess Wright, along with her mother Carol and sister Natalya, eventually issued a public apology.
In a joint statement shared on social media, they said that after hearing the reaction to their comments, they wanted to apologise. They admitted their judgement had been wrong and said they took full responsibility for what had been said. The statement ended with a promise that they would do better moving forward.
Despite the apology, the debate has continued to rage online — with many fans now rallying behind Lauren Goodger after her subtle but pointed show of support.
