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TOWIE's Lydia Bright On The One Thing She Won't Miss After Quitting The Show

'When you’re going through a bad time, that is made a hundred times worse.'
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Entertainment Editor

Former ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ star Lydia Bright has opened up about the most difficult aspect of being on the show.

Having been a part of the cast since series one, Lydia confirmed that she would be stepping down from the reality show earlier this year.

Speaking to HuffPost UK on ‘BUILD’, she spoke fondly of her time on the show, but admitted there’s one aspect she’s not going to miss.

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Lydia in the 'BUILD' studio
Tim P. Whitby via Getty Images

She explained: “I always say with ‘TOWIE’, basically, if you’re going through a great time, that is heightened.

“You get to speak about it with everyone, it’s so exciting, you’re on such a buzz, and everywhere you go people want to talk about it. So it’s brilliant, and it’s an even bigger high.

“But equally, when you’re going through a bad time on ‘TOWIE’, that is made a hundred times worse, because that’s all anybody wants to talk about. And if you’re going through a breakup, for example, all you want to do is shut yourself away and not talk about that person.”

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Lydia's on-off relationship with James Argent was a constant source of drama on 'TOWIE'
Neil Mockford via Getty Images

Reflecting on her own personal drama being aired in front of the nation, she recalled: “If I broke up with James [Argent, her ex-boyfriend]... I’d have to see him the next day. Who wants to see their ex-boyfriend the next day? And that’s why on ‘TOWIE’ you get a lot of breakups and make-ups.

“When I wasn’t on ‘TOWIE’ and I took that big year and a half out, I never bumped into James once. And then I came back and that week I bumped into him seven times.

“But that’s what the show does and that’s how they create the drama. The show is very real in the sense that everything that you say is what you want to say. But they set up the environment, and they make sure that the wrong person walks into a place at the wrong time.”

During her interview, Lydia also revealed that her mum, Debbie Douglas - who also announced she was quitting ‘TOWIE’ at the same time as Lydia - had previously been banned from her Essex boutique, as her casual putdowns didn’t sit well with the clientele.

Watch Lydia’s full ‘BUILD’ interview below:

'TOWIE' Stars: Where Are They Now?
Sam Faiers(01 of14)
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Sam left 'TOWIE' earlier in 2014, following her diagnosis with Crohn's disease. She's since reunited with her former fiancé Joey Essex, and still runs Minnies Boutique in Essex, with her sister, Billie. (credit:Mark Robert Milan via Getty Images)
Mark Wright(02 of14)
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Since leaving 'The Only Way Is Essex', Mark has put aside his womanising ways and is now happily engaged to former 'Coronation Street' actress Michelle Keegan.He's currently taking part in the most recent series of 'Strictly Come Dancing', the first 'TOWIE' cast member to ever take part in the show. (credit:Karwai Tang via Getty Images)
Amy Childs(03 of14)
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Her catchphrases helped make 'TOWIE' such a success, but Amy decided to move onto pastures new in 2011. Since then she's posed for Vogue, made a splash with Jedward in the 'Celebrity Big Brother' house and earned over £2 million in endorsement deals.Mind you, we still remember her best for giving Sam Faiers a vajazzle in the first episode of 'TOWIE' back in 2010. (credit:Anthony Harvey via Getty Images)
Joey Essex(04 of14)
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Off the back of his successful appearance on 'I'm A Celeb' - where he famously revealed he couldn't tell the time, amid flirting with Amy Willerton - Joey bagged his own successful reality series, 'Educating Joey Essex' which is brought him all over the world.He's also still dating his fellow former 'TOWIE' cast member, Sam Faiers, who he reconciled with earlier in 2014. (credit:Iconic via Getty Images)
Lucy Mecklenburgh(05 of14)
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After walking out on her on-off boyfriend Mario Falcone for the last time and saying goodbye to 'TOWIE', Lucy has come the face of 'Results With Lucy' a fitness programme, while also taking part in the BBC gymnastics series, 'Tumble'. (credit:Mark Robert Milan via Getty Images)
Kirk Norcross(06 of14)
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Since leaving 'TOWIE', one of the show's hottest ever hunks became embroiled in a two-week relationship with former-glamour-model-turned-bodybuilder Jodie Marsh. Their brief fling ended when she reportedly refused to have sex with him.Since then, explicit images of Kirk from a Skype chat have been posted online, which he has since apologised to the more faint-hearted among his fans. (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Lauren Goodger(07 of14)
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Whether she's slagging off her ex - Mark Wright - on Twitter, suffering a nip-slip in the 'CBB' pool or trying her hand at ice-skating in 'Dancing On Ice', notoriously publicity-shy Lauren "The Goodge" Goodger has rarely been out of the media since leaving 'TOWIE'.Earlier this year, she revealed her heartache after a six-second clip of her performing a sex act on her ex-boyfriend was circulated on mobile devices. (credit:Mark Robert Milan via Getty Images)
Harry Derbridge(08 of14)
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After a long absence, Harry returned to 'TOWIE' in 2014, where his rocky relationship with Bobby Norris had us all talking, in particular about their unusual choice of swimwear.When they split up, it was announced that Harry wouldn't be returning for 'The Only Way Is Ibiza', as he wasn't involved in any of the show's key storylines anymore. Ouch. (credit:Dave J Hogan via Getty Images)
Charlie King(09 of14)
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Charlie appears to divide his post-'TOWIE' time between going to the gym and taking his top off to take pictures of the effect this aforementioned gym time is having.Long may it continue, we say. (credit:Instagram.com/charlieking85)
Frankie Essex(10 of14)
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Frankie's older sister quit 'TOWIE' in the summer, claiming the show was beginning to take over her life. Since then, she's had a difficult time of it, after being attacked by a group of girls in a night-club toilet while on a night out with Chloe Sims and Elliot Wright. (credit:Julian Parker via Getty Images)
Tom Kilbey(11 of14)
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Tom and Lydia Bright sadly split up not long after it was announced that they'd be leaving 'The Only Way Is Essex' to focus on their relationship. While Lydia has since returned to the show - and to her ex, James "Arg" Argent - former footballer Tom was recently spotted out and about with Lindsay Lohan at - you guessed it! - the Chiltern Firehouse. (credit:David M. Benett via Getty Images)
Danni Park-Dempsey(12 of14)
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Danni took to her Twitter late last year to reveal she was "taking a break" from 'TOWIE' so she could focus on a "business venture".She gave birth to a daughter earlier this year, becoming the third member of the docuseries' cast to become a parent, after Dan Osborne and Billie Faiers. (credit:Twitter/Danni Park-Dempsey)
Mick Nocross(13 of14)
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Mick quit 'TOWIE' because he feared the arguments that regularly took place at Sugar Hut - the nightclub that he owns - were putting people off going to his venue.He recently announced plans to branch out into the hotel business, revealing he's in the process of opening a luxury hotel in Essex. (credit:Mark Robert Milan via Getty Images)
Maria Fowler(14 of14)
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Listen carefully. Shhhhhh. Do you hear that?That, friends, is the sound of Maria Fowler Googling herself.Although she was famously branded an "extra" by Kirk during a heated row, Maria is rarely far from the headlines, thanks to her penchant for turning up to the opening of an envelope, and her rows with fellow Z-listers, including 'X Factor' singer Katie Waissel, 'Geordie Shore' star Vicky Pattison and Marcus Collins. (credit:Mark Robert Milan via Getty Images)
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