INTERVIEW
MEGAN:
Reality TV star turned singer Megan McKenna tells Closer why her time on TOWIE was one of the darkest periods of her life, and bares all on her new relationship
A career U-turn in 2017 saw Megan Mckenna quit reality TV to follow her dreams as a country singer, and now the star says only one of her former co-stars has championed her music career – The GC.
Megan, 30, starred on Ex On The Beach in 2015 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, before joining TOWIE that same year – where she entertained audiences with her explosive arguments and ill-fated relationship with co-star Pete Wicks, 35.
Now, she says that her time on the hit ITV2 show left her deeply unhappy.
She says, “TOWIE was probably one of the most miserable times of my life. I loved the show and always watched it growing up. I’d just come off Celebrity Big Brother and, going in, it was literally like walking into the lion’s den. Everybody had this perception of me on the show, and I wasn’t there to be a bitch. I stood my ground – although I definitely ruffled a few feathers.”
She adds, “It consumed my life a little bit. Obviously, everything was drama. People need to remember that things are set up for entertainment. I’ve learned to think before I speak, whereas on TOWIE, I said it as it was.”
While on the show, Megan had high-profile fallouts with stars such as Chloe Lewis, 32, Courteney Green, 27, and Chloe Meadows, 32, as well as screaming matches with then-boyfriend Pete. The couple’s relationship hit the rocks after it emerged the star had cheated on Megan with around 10 other women – something Pete later admitted.
FIERY
But since leaving TOWIE in 2017, the star has pursued a country music career – releasing her first album, Story Of Me, in 2018, which knocked Dolly Parton off the top spot of the country charts – before winning Celebrity X Factor a year later.
And Megan now says the TOWIE stars who support her the most are James “Arg” Argent, 35, and Gemma Collins, 42 – who she starred on Celebrity Big Brother with seven years ago.
Megan says, “Gemma and I have always supported each other, and I always see her out and about. I see her in M&S sometimes! I didn’t know Gemma when I went into Big Brother, and I really warmed to her. I got on with her the best out of everyone, and even now when I see her, she’s so supportive. I’d say she’s one of the only ones on TOWIE, apart from Arg, who is really supportive of my music and messages me. That goes a long way. It’s so nice that she’s genuinely happy for me.”
Fans were used to Megan’s fiery relationship with Pete, b
