Amy Childs joined Lauren Goodger and several cast members of The Only Way Is Essex for filming in Romford on Thursday, with Goodger breaking down in an emotional scene as she discussed the anniversary of her late baby daughter.

The filming, which took place at Sir Henry's Pub and later continued in a park, also featured Ella Rae Wise, Danni Imbert, Saffron Lempriere, Jodie Wells, Freddie Bentley, Roman Hackett, Harry Derbidge, Junaid and Joe Blackman. Childs, 35, arrived in a strapless print dress, while Goodger, 38, wore a pale blue ruffled skirt and white vest top.

In scenes set during a picnic, Goodger spoke candidly to co-stars about the anniversary of the death of her daughter Lorena, who died shortly after birth in July 2022. "Obviously it's a really hard day for me. Obviously three years ago I lost Lorena in labour. She should be here and I think it's harder because it's Larose's birthday in two weeks," she told the group on camera. Saffron Lempriere responded, "Oh so you got a low and then a high again," and Freddie Bentley added, "It's so cruel."

Goodger said she had been holding the pain inside and that this month was particularly difficult. "I don't understand any of it," she said through tears, and explained that she had pushed herself to appear on camera to talk about her loss rather than hiding. Junaid offered comfort, saying, "But you're so strong and you need to remember you got all your friends and family," and Childs told Goodger she could call any time. "Like I said Lauren, you can ring me up at 3 in the morning, I'm going to always be there for you," Childs said.

Producers staged several group moments for photography as filming got underway, with cast members posing together outside the pub and later at the park picnic. Freddie Bentley and Ella Rae Wise were pictured together, while Junaid and his boyfriend Joe Blackman posed hand-in-hand. Danni Imbert drew attention in a cream catsuit and Harry Derbidge appeared in denim shorts.

Separately, Childs has said she is aiming to put on a stone in weight after losing weight through worry over her mother's recent illness, a personal detail that has been part of her public conversation in recent weeks.

The Only Way Is Essex, a long-running structured-reality series, often combines filmed social gatherings with personal conversations that form the basis of broadcast episodes. The sequences shot on Thursday are expected to feature in forthcoming episodes as cast members navigate both social scenes and private struggles on camera.