James Argent and Lydia Bright 'meeting up in secret and hope to rekindle romance'

James Argent and Lydia Bright have reportedly been trying to get their relationship back on track after spending the last few years apart.

The MailOnline revealed that the TOWIE pair have been spending time around each other’s houses and are focusing on reigniting their romance.

The pair were childhood sweethearts and dated on and off between 2008-2016, with him dating Gemma Collins on and off in between and after they severed ties.

This comes five years after Lydia, 30, discovered James, 34, slept with herself and Gemma, 40, on the same day.

According to reports, James is still considered “family” by Lydia’s mum Debbie, and the notion of them getting back together motivated him to lose weight again.

A source told MailOnline: “They became friends again at the beginning of the year but now they’re starting to develop more serious feelings for each other.

“Everyone knows James has never stopped loving Lydia and the idea of her taking him back has spurred him on throughout his weight loss journey.

“Lydia has been supportive of his recovery, and he’s still considered family – those closest to them are hoping this will be the happy ending they’ve always longed for.”

Lydia has been single following the split of her relationship with her daughter Loretta’s father, Lee Cronin.

In July, they both attended his sister Natasha’s wedding and posed for photos together with 21-month-old Loretta.

James is now looking slimmer than ever after having gastric band surgery in April and shedding a staggering 11 stone.

Over the past several years, James has also struggled with cocaine addiction after finding fame on ITVBe show TOWIE.

James has spoken publicly about his addictions and almost suffered two near-fatal overdoses, spending 10-weeks in a Thailand rehab clinic in 2020 after the second one happened.

Last year, he said: “I’m in my thirties now and I have fully accepted my life had become completely unmanageable because of A) drugs and B) my eating disorder.

“I feel that from a young age, I have always struggled in terms of body image, the way I’ve looked, and I’ve used my personality… being the smiley, happy person, for show – it was almost like wearing a mask.”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk