We all get down about our body image every now and then, but we were sad to find out that TOWIE star Lauren Goodger is being so hard on herself.

The former TOWIE cast member was photographed walking the beach in a bikini while on holidays in Egypt recently, and she says she's "too upset and too embarrassed" to look at the photos that have been published online.

"They're horrendous!" she told New! magazine. "I look like a beached whale."

Although she is naturally curvy, in recent years Lauren's weight has fluctuated, going up and down between a size 8 and a size 14.

But she says she's now at her highest weight and she's finding it hard to deal with. "I'm the heaviest I've ever been and I've been distracting myself with other things so I don't have to think about it. In my mind I'm still a size 12 but I'm obviously not," said the 28-year-old.

Going by her Instagram feed it's impossible to tell that Lauren has gained any weight, but  she says that these latest pictures have really upset her. "I want to go into hibernation and cover my face with a balaclava," she admitted.

However they might be just the motivation she needs to start looking after her body better. "I need to stop doing these fad diets. You can't maintain them long-term. I can't live like that," she added.

Whatever happens, we hope Lauren gains the confidence to see that she's gorgeous inside and out!

She's never been one to shy away from controversy, but now Lauren Goodger has a few sharp words for her haters.

The TOWIE star raised some eyebrows recently after posting a number of revealing pictures on social media. The drama started when she uploaded a (nearly) topless pic to Instagram with the caption "I make a mess when I get ready."

The photo sent fans into a frenzy, with followers noting that "she didn't leave a lot to the imagination." Agreed! 

It was followed just two days later by an even steamier picture, this time of the star's derrière! A first version of the image was deleted and replaced by a slightly cropped one – though it still shows off quite a bit:

Lauren has addressed the negative comments head on though and says she has no time for the criticism. "Every time I upload a sexy pic of myself it causes so much controversy!" she wrote.

"Some people love it and some people hate it, but all the haters just make me laugh. Why does it bother them so much and why do they feel so much anger? …At the end of the day, I'm a 28-year-old woman and I'm allowed to show off my body."

She also admitted that she had edited her bum selfie after realising she'd taken things too far. "As for the bum pic, the reason I deleted and re-cropped it was because after I posted it I realised it was a bit too much."

Fair play to her for speaking out, but we're still not sure what we make of the "belfie"!