On 10 October 2010, the world was introduced to Mark Wright and Lauren Goodger in the first episode of The Only Way Is Essex.
And despite over a decade passing since the iconic inaugural episode, the couple’s first ever on-screen exchange seems to have resonated with Love Island star Montana Brown, 25, as she took to Instagram on Monday to lipsync the scene.
The scene in question saw Lauren, now 34, sitting in a salon calling her then-partner of a decade, Mark, now 33, who was out driving with James ‘Arg’ Argent, to ask if he was going to attend her birthday party – leading to devastation for Lauren.
Shocker: Montana Brown flawlessly lip synced Mark Wright and Lauren Goodger’s first ever TOWIE exchange in an Instagram post on Monday, 11 years after the couple hit screens
Mark and Lauren were arguably TOWIE’s original golden couple, with the early seasons of the structured reality show charting their turbulent on/off relationship peppered with his flings with Sam Faiers and Lucy Mecklenburgh.
Montana joined a pal in mocking one of their first ever on-screen exchanges, which saw Lauren – played by Montana’s friend – saying: ‘You know about my birthday at Sugar Hut, yeah? Are you coming?’
Posing as Mark, Montana responded: ‘I don’t totally know yet as I’ve got a lot of stuff on, but I’ll let you nearer the time’. Clearly fuming, Lauren went on: ‘Well it’ll be a bit ridiculous if you don’t, don’t you think it would be a bit embarrassing?’
The cruel Lothario then left Lauren hurt as he said: ‘Why would it be ridiculous? We’re not together at the moment’, as Lauren sniped back: ‘Don’t bother coming then, if I know you’re not coming then I won’t expect it, will I?’
That was then… On 10 October 2010, the world was introduced to Mark Wright and Lauren Goodger in the first episode of The Only Way Is Essex (pictured in 2010)
Oh dear… Montana joined a pal in mocking one of their first ever on-screen exchanges, which saw Lauren – played by Montana’s friend – saying: ‘You know about my birthday as Sugar Hut yeah? Are you coming?’
Perfect! Montana’s pal perfected Lauren’s Essex motions
Later in the episode, during the aforementioned birthday festivities, Mark was seen talking to Sam at the bar while Lauren partied with her pals and once she had spotted the chat, Lauren went on to brand the duo a ‘pair of c**ts’.
Prior to the phone call scene, Lauren was seen getting a spray tan in Amy Childs’ in-house beauty salon while sporting just her underwear leading to the beautician spying Lauren’s inking on her bikini line – displaying her childhood love’s name.
While Amy marvelled at the inking, Lauren revealed Mark had encouraged her to get the tattoo although in the next episode the hunk was seen watching the show back and proclaimed she ‘looked about 20 stone’ – much to her devastation.
Oh dear… Later in the episode, during the aforementioned birthday festivities, Mark was seen talking to Sam at the bar while Lauren partied with her pals and once she had spotted the chat, Lauren went on to brand the duo a ‘pair of c**ts’
Heartache: Prior to the phone call scene, Lauren was seen getting a spray tan in Amy Childs’ in-house beauty salon while sporting just her underwear leading to the beautician spying Lauren’s inking on her bikini line – displaying her childhood flame’s name
Making his Mark: In the next series, Lauren was seen to have the tattoo removed in a bold statement
In the next series, Lauren was seen to have the tattoo removed in a bold statement however just hours after departing the laser salon, Mark interrupted her drinks with her sister Nicola to pop the question in a pub car park – to which she said yes.
Ultimately things ended in tears, with their engagement being called off for good in 2012, following a host of devastating twists and turns – with Sam professing her love for Mark after the engagement and an eventual infidelity with Lucy in Marbella.
The childhood sweethearts’ split was extremely acrimonious and has led to much mud-slinging, since Mark found love again with Michelle Keegan.
Shocker: Mark and Lauren were arguably TOWIE’s original golden couple, yet their relationship was peppered with his flings with Sam Faiers (second right) and Lucy Mecklenburgh (second left)
Oh dear… The childhood sweethearts’ split was extremely acrimonious and has led to much mud-slinging
In 2014, after Lauren spoke in the press about their defunct relationship, Mark shared an aggressive tweet, in which he urged Lauren to ‘be a proper woman’.
He wrote: ‘Its been well over 2 years and it still continues. I find it so disrespectful to myself but more importantly, my fiancé. Be a proper woman’.
Mark and Michelle then married in an idyllic ceremony in 2015 at Hengrave Hall.
Way back when: Mark pictured on the first episode of TOWIE
In June 2015, Lauren and Mark were locked in yet another bitter war of words over Lauren’s alleged ‘obsession’ with name-dropping Mark and discussing his wedding.
Lauren vented her frustrations in a lengthy rant, claiming she wasn’t milking her romance with Mark for publicity.
She wrote: ‘I’m not living off Mark for money. I have been offered numerous interviews to talk about him, particularly of late – all of which I have turned down… I only ever speak about him to defend myself against stories which aren’t from me.’
Shocking: Back in 2014, after Lauren spoke again about her relationship leading to an aggressive tweet from Mark, in which he urged Lauren to ‘be a proper woman’
Way back when: In June 2015, Lauren and Mark were locked in yet another bitter war of words over Lauren’s alleged ‘obsession’ with name-dropping Mark and discussing his wedding
In 2019, Lauren then branded Mark and Michelle’s marriage ‘weird’ and claimed they don’t speak to each other.
Speaking to Heat Magazine, Lauren revealed she ran into her former flame and his wife in the gym, after which she made the statement about their marriage.
She said: ‘I saw them both in the gym. They don’t talk it’s really weird. I was like “F**king hell, we weren’t like that”. It’s like they don’t know each other. I can’t go into that though. I’m just so glad that ain’t me’.
Hmmm… In 2019, Lauren then branded Mark and Michelle’s marriage ‘weird’ and claimed they don’t speak to each other (pictured in 2011)