Are some TOWIE stars getting too big for the show?

Lucy Mecklenburgh on October 2013 FHM. Image from mirror.co.uk

Lauren Pope wears a clip-in hair extension from her Hair Rebab London range. Image from reveal.co.uk

Before the likes of Lucy Mecklenburgh and Sam Faiers appeared in The Only Way is Essex, there were no magazine deals or boutiques  No, these were in part the creation of TOWIE, which gave these young Essex girls a platform in which to build a media image. As the long running show has progressed we have seen less scenes of the girls lying on each others beds drinking cups of tea and more scenes of them working in their shops and on photoshoots. It is no longer a show documenting the lives of normal Essex girls, but rather one giving an insight into the life of a celebrities. It is arguable that some of the stars careers have ascended to such a point that their sole claim to fame is no longer just TOWIE.

This happened to Amy Childs who was quick to leave the show, as soon as her boutiques had hit the ground running and clothing and beauty lines was taking off. Similarly Mark Wright left when television presenting deals were on the horizon. You could argue that some of the current cast are too big for the show now. 

Lucy Mecklenburgh's career has escalated in the last year, as she is no longer just a TV personality. She has launched her own fitness website, Results with Lucy, signed a modelling deal with Select model management as a special bookings model and has just recently set her sight on an acting career. It was only a couple of weeks ago that Lucy was prowling the streets of LA dining at The Ivy and meeting Doug Reinhart. Most notably, it would seem that even Lucy herself no longer defines herself by TOWIE as on her bio for her Offical Twitter page, she simply has 'Fitness and Fashion Media Bookings', with no reference to the show.

Lauren Pope's career has also progressed as well, as she has DJ'd for Ministry of Sound and has her own brand of clip-in hair extensions, Hair Rehab London which have been worn by Little Mix members Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson.

Whilst TOWIE has played a huge part in both Lucy and Lauren's lives, they are no longer defined by it. Their outside projects have done much to evolve their careers and develop their celebrity statutes. They are now known as business women with expanding brands, not just a cast member in a reality television show. Perhaps they are too big for the show?

What do you think - are these TOWIE stars too big for the show? Should the programme just document the lives of normal Essex girls?