Danielle Armstrong has opened up on the negative impact appearing on The Only Way Is Essex had on her.
The 34-year-old Essex star quit the reality series back in 2016 following her three-year on/off relationship with co-star James Lock.
Now, Danielle is preparing to marry fiancé Tommy Edney and has since welcomed adorable two-year-old daughter Orla.
Appearing on the latest episode of Vicky Pattison: The Secret To, the mum-of-one reflected on her time on TOWIE with podcast host Vicky Pattison.
Danielle admitted that while she loved appearing on the ITVbe series, it wasn't without some major downsides.
She explained: "When I went on TOWIE, it offered so many opportunities, which I absolutely loved but, I absolutely hated that people got to see so much of my real life with the emotion.
"Like, the biggest question you’d have was, 'Is it real? Is it real?' That used to infuriate me. Like, do you actually think I can act?
"Because we definitely can’t act and I definitely couldn’t. It was all so real."
Danielle continued: "It's showing that side of you that you don't want the whole world to see.
"It’s like you’re trapped, I felt like I was trapped for a long time. I was trapped in this industry of judgemental people judging everything you say and how you look."
The reality star went on to describe the negative attention as "toxic", adding: "You can start doubting yourself and comparing yourself to others."
Following the show, Danielle turned to therapy to help rebuild her confidence again.
She explained: "I had to go to therapy originally for the passing of my friend Sammy - I went for that and a few other things in my life relationship-wise.
"But therapy for me, really made me realise that I’d lost myself like, was I Danielle from TOWIE? Was I Danielle from the fashion job?
"People called me Dani because that was kind of the name TOWIE gave me."
Despite some tough times on the show, the star admitted that she has "no regrets" over appearing.
Meanwhile, Danielle is currently preparing for her upcoming wedding to boyfriend Tom.
The Essex star had previously given up on love before falling head over heels for her friend, who she first met as a teenager.
Speaking about the wedding, Danielle shared: "I think what’s going to be nice for both of us is, obviously, we went to school together. It’s a really small ceremony. It’s going to be really nice, I’m really excited."
During the podcast, she also admitted to wanting another two or three children with construction site manager Tom.
Vicky Pattison: The Secret To is available to listen to on Acast and all major podcast platforms. New episodes are released every Thursday.
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