"Unveiling the Truth: Why Lucy Mecklenburgh Ended Things with 'Skint' Mark Wright and How She's Now Securing Her Finances Against Thomas"

SHE rocked up in the first series of The Only Way is Essex as the shy, 19-year-old girlfriend of club promoter and then-womaniser Mark Wright. But by the time Lucy Mecklenburgh left the reality TV show three years later, she was calling the shots.

TOWIE fans have long believed Mark was the one who broke up with Lucy, but insiders now tell The Sun the real reason why she dumped him, and just how she managed to navigate her rapid rise to fame after meeting now-fiancé , 41.

Lucy Mecklenburgh has turned her wholesome mother-of-two home life into a money-spinner online after meeting Ryan Thomas Credit: Getty By 2011, the pair had gone their separate ways… but sources say Lucy was the one who did the dumping Credit: Planet Photos

, now 34, made her TOWIE debut in 2010’s first series, and she was immediately catapulted into a stormy love triangle with Mark’s on/off lover .

Viewers were treated to numerous heated scenes between the trio. Memorably, when Mark, 39, and Lauren, 39, got engaged in 2011, Lucy didn’t hold back.

In one infamous scene in a packed pub, Lucy told Lauren she had slept with Mark just two weeks before he popped the question to her, only for Mark to call Lucy an “idiot” in front of their fellow castmates.

Lucy held her own in the dispute, and after he yelled at her to “keep your mouth shut”, she blasted: “It’s not about winning, Mark. It’s the fact you’re ruining too many people’s lives. You enjoy f***ing with girls’ heads. That’s what’s sick about you.”

‘She realised he was skint’

By 2011, had gone their separate ways – but, contrary to many TOWIE fans’ theories, sources tell us it was Lucy who got rid of him.

A source tells us: “Lucy and Mark’s telly fling was explosive viewing at the time.

“People assumed Mark was calling the shots because he was a bigger name, but actually Lucy was the one who called things off.

“She was always destined to be really successful and was very clever in her early days about who she associated with.

“Once she realised Mark was actually skint, then she moved on swiftly.”

Savvy Lucy started a romance with fellow TOWIE co-star in late 2011.

They got engaged in 2012 but the pair went their separate ways a year later. She also had brief flings with co-stars Dan Osbourne and Tom Pearce.

But in 2017, Lucy’s life changed forever when she took part in Celebrity Island with , on which she met former actor .

Ryan was a household name after starring as Corrie’s Jason Grimshaw for 16 years, and he appeared to be an upgrade for Lucy.

“After Mark, Lucy met Ryan, and he was still well-known for his acting work and seemed like a real step up in the world,” a source tells us.

“She went from reality star to actor, and it propelled her into a different level of fame.”

Lucy and Ryan – who share children, Roman, six, and three-year-old Lilah – got engaged in 2019, but have still not set a date, and sources recently told us that their wedding plans could even be permanently on ice.

Ironically, both Lucy and Mark went their separate ways only to hook up with Coronation Street stars, who also had a close connection themselves.

Mark is married to former Cobbles favourite , who was previously romantically linked to Lucy’s fiancé Ryan in 2012.

The rumours came after Ryan’s character Jason popped the question to Michelle’s alter-ego Tina McIntyre.

‘Once she realised Mark was actually skint then, Lucy moved on swiftly’ reveals our insider Credit: ITV Lucy was immediately catapulted into a stormy love triangle with Mark’s on/off lover Lauren Goodger on her first series Credit: ITV Lucy’s life changed forever when she took part in Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls and met now-fiancé Ryan Thomas Credit: Splash

But, like Mark and Lucy’s failed romance, Jason and Tina went their separate ways, and Michelle’s character was killed off in 2014.

Following her Corrie stint, Michelle has gone on to make an even bigger name for herself in thriller Fool Me Once, as well as dramas and Ten Pound Poms, and Max .

But she and Mark are far from Brassic anymore.

The couple, who married in May 2015 and have a 13-month-old daughter, Palma, together live in a worth an estimated £3.5 million.

Of course, now Mark is the mega rich one with the incredibly successful and famous wife, while Ryan’s finances and career are often a bit up in the air.

They splashed out £1.3 million for the original property in 2019, before demolishing the house and building their own dream home, which features a huge outdoor pool and a spa.

In a far cry from his low-paid club promoter days on TOWIE, Mark now has a combined rumoured net worth of £20m with Michelle Keegan, after becoming a TV and presenter since leaving his reality TV life behind.

He previously worked as a presenter on the Los Angeles-based entertainment show Extra, and also hosted the British version of The Bachelor and reality contest Challenge UK.

Nowadays, he presents on Heart Radio.

‘Thomas proofing her finances’

Michelle has also done well for herself, thanks to her impressive acting career, clothing collections and various other ad campaigns.

The source adds: “Of course, now Mark is the mega-rich one with the incredibly successful and famous wife, while Ryan’s finances and career are often a bit up in the air.”

While Michelle has gone on to star in several serious dramas, Ryan’s career has mostly seen him go down the reality TV route.

Since Corrie, he’s appeared on Celebrity , , and Dancing on Ice, as well as a short stint in now-cancelled Australian soap , and he made a brief return to Corrie last year.

Before he met Lucy, Ryan was declared bankrupt in 2013, despite earning £100,000 a year on Coronation Street at the time, and his still casts a shadow over his life.

Following her Corrie stint, Michelle has gone on to make an even bigger name for herself Credit: Getty Mark went on to become a TV and radio presenter Credit: Getty

Just last year, The Sun revealed his company, R James Thomas Ltd, which takes in cash from his TV and endorsement work, had just £1 in its accounts, according to annual accounts filed to for the 12 months to the end of January 2025.

At the time, the books also revealed he owed more than £30,000 of a Covid Bounce Back Loan.

Ryan now works alongside his twin brothers, former actor and ex-Love Island star , both 37, on their podcast, At Home With The Thomas Bros, on which Ryan regularly talks about his life with Lucy.

And Lucy has turned her wholesome mother-of-two home life into a money-spinner online.

A source recently tells us Lucy has always been “very financially literate” and her dad Paul, is “very wealthy” and has “an extensive property portfolio”.

So, it’s no surprise she has made savvy, sensible business decisions over the years.

Lucy’s £25-a-month at-home fitness outfit, Results With Lucy, has been a huge success, and she now employs 24 people.

In January, The Sun revealed the company recorded a profit of around £400,000 for the 12 months to the end of March last year – double the previous year’s trading – and the brand had cash reserves of more than £500,000.

Lucy also runs her own property company, and she has turned her home life into an online selling point by creating plenty of parenting and brand content.

The source adds: “Being part of the Thomas family is still a coup for Lucy.

“Not that she really needs any of these men, though – she’s making enough on her own!”

While TOWIE is firmly in her past, it looks like the only way is up for Lucy.