Yahoo News TOWIE star James Lock says show "held me back in life"
The Only Way Is Essex star James 'Lockie' Lock has spoken out about his experience on the long-running reality show.
He took the decision to step back from TOWIE in 2023 after 10 years.
Reflecting on his exit, Lock admitted that while he’s grateful for his time on TOWIE he feels the show has hindered his love-life and career.
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The former Celebs Go Dating star confessed he feels TOWIE held him back "in every aspect" of his life.
"Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful and I love the show," Lock told best’s Suddenly Single podcast. "It’s given me a massive platform and it’s enabled me to be where I am today. I’m grateful for that, I would never change anything. I don’t regret anything.
"But, in some ways it’s held me back in life. You know, romantically and in other aspects of my career that I want to go and do."
The TOWIE star went on to share his hopes for the future of his career, revealing he's keen to take on a different role in the entertainment industry.
"The reason I took a backstep from TOWIE is because I’m trying to progress and transition into acting," he explained. "I’ve been doing acting classes for a long time."
Related: Joey Essex says Love Island will be "my last ever reality show"
Lock also opened up about how fans of the show haven’t been able to see the true version of himself on-screen.
"I think sometimes people have got a misperception of me or they misunderstand me because they see this Lockie on TOWIE," he explained. "Again, remember that’s not… you don’t fully see me."
"On TOWIE I’m still sort of half playing a character. You know, I’m not that Dirty Den they’ve got me playing or the Phil Mitchell. That’s what they’ve got me playing on that. I’m always that character."
best's Suddenly Single podcast is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now.
The Only Way Is Essex airs on ITVBe and streams on ITVX.
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