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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Connie Rusk

Lauren Goodger and James Argent lead tearful stars at Jake McLean's funeral

Lauren Goodger and James Argent led the grieving stars arriving at Jake McLean's funeral on Tuesday, following his tragic death aged just 33 in Turkey last month.

Former TOWIE star Lauren, 35, who previously dated Jake for four years, was pictured arriving for the farewell ceremony, held at d at St Thomas of Canterbury church in Essex to celebrate the businessman's life.

A heartbroken Lauren put on a brave face as she walked to the service, just weeks after she also lost her second daughter Lorena shortly after giving birth.

Dressed in white, she was accompanied by friends, while Arg arrived with fellow TOWIE star Liam Gatsby.

In homage to Jake, the funeral procession was escorted by supercars and expensive luxury vehicles.

Lauren Goodger led the grieving stars arriving at her ex Jake McLean's funeral (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
James Argent was among the mourners (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)

Floral tributes and a large Lamborghini emblem adorned the hearse carrying Jake's body to the church.

Jake was on holiday with his on-off girlfriend Yazmin Oukhellou when their Mercedes car overturned after plunging 30ft into a ditch on Sunday July 3.

Jake tragically died at the scene, while Yazmin, 28, had to break her arm to free herself from the crumpled vehicle and call for help. She was later taken to hospital where she needed surgery for her injuries.

James Argent was accompanied by Liam Gatsby (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
Lauren cut a sombre figure as she arrived for the service (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)

Ahead of the service, former TOWIE stars gathered to pay tribute ahead of the funeral, with Sam Mucklow leading the tributes to Jake.

Alongside a montage of photos from their teenage years, Sam penned: "Jakey Boy. You played a huge part in my life over the years, helped shape the person I am today. Love you J.

"The day has come that we lay you rest in paradise Jake and celebrate your life. You're always in my mind and will forever be in my heart."

Lauren dated Jake for four years (pictured in 2013) (FilmMagic)
Jake was on holiday with his on-off girlfriend Yazmin Oukhellou when the tragic car crash happened (yazminoukhellou/Instagram)

Jake's ex-girlfriend Georgia Harrison also paid tribute to the businessman of her Instagram by sharing a series of emotional quotes.

She shared: "When we lose someone we love we must learn not to live without them, but to live with the love they left behind."

Another post said: "The light remains... there are some who bring a light so great to the world, that even after they have gone, the light remains."

Floral displays in tribute to Jake adorned the hearse (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
A large Lamborghini emblem was on the hearse (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)

Another of Jake's friends Georgie Dark wrote: "Will be thinking of you and your family... I can't believe you're not here anymore."

After his tragic death, Yazmin returned to the U.K and spoke about the horror car crash.

Doctors told Yazmin she was 'lucky' to have survived. Yazmin heartbreakingly thought Jake was "just unconscious" when she first discovered they had crashed, and asked a passer-by to help him.

A heartbroken Lauren put on a brave face (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
The reality star has also lost her second child in recent weeks (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)

"It was lay there and bleed to death, or snap my own arm to try to save us," she recalled to The Sun.

"I didn’t want to admit it to myself that he could be dead. So I thought, ‘Right, I can either lay still and bleed to death, or snap my own arm to try to save us — I had no choice."

She recalls snapping her arm through "pure adrenaline and panic" and managing to climb out of the car.

Lauren looked devastated as she sheltered underneath an umbrella (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
Lauren joined former TOWIE co-stars to pay her respects (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)

Yazmin then spotted a man walking his dog who assisted her with her injuries as they returned to the car to try save Jake.

"I climbed back down and tried to check his pulse but I couldn’t feel anything and then the ambulance came," she remembers.

Sadly, Jake was declared dead at the scene as Yazmin was rushed to a nearby hospital.

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