Towie’s James ‘Arg’ Argent ‘on a break’ from hit ITVBe show to work on his ‘wellbeing’
Original cast member Arg has the full support of the team as he steps away from the Essex spotlight
JAMES ‘Arg’ Argent has decided to take a break from filming The Only Way Is Essex to work on his “well-being,” The Sun Online can exclusively reveal.
The 29-year-old who has a starring role in the show and is the only original cast member, missed the final episodes of the last series and didn’t appear in any of the Christmas specials.
A source close to Arg has now told The Sun Online that he won’t appear in the upcoming series as he wants to be in a “stronger position” mentally and health wise before he shares his life again.
An insider said: "Arg doesn't feel ready to return to Towie. He wants to get himself in a stronger position before he commits to sharing his life on camera again and filming full time.
“He wants to return when he is able to give it 100%.”
Arg has been open about his personal problems since checking into rehab for a month in 2015.
Speaking after his stint in the facility, he told Now magazine at the time: "Underneath everything I was badly depressed. I was anxious and tired."
Describing how his partying has spiralled out of control, he added: “Everything I cared about didn’t mean anything to me anymore.
“I’m embarrassed to say this but so many people tried [to help me] and got pushed away.
“Mark [Wright] told me I wasn’t invited to his wedding [to Michelle Keegan] if I didn’t change. When I went into rehab he got in touch because he was so proud of me.”
The team at Towie and his close friends are “incredibly supportive” of him putting his wellbeing first.
The source continued: “The Towie production team have been incredibly supportive and he knows he has their full backing.
“He is so grateful to them. When he returned to Towie he promised he would take responsibility for his own well-being and that's what he is doing.
“It's definitely a positive thing that Arg is making this decision to look after himself. He loves Towie and this won't have been an easy decision."
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In May last year The Sun revealed that Arg’s on-off girlfriend Lydia Bright had thrown him out of the house they shared and ended their seven-year relationship after she arrived home early to discover he was “out of it".
A source said: “They have broken up and it’s for good this time.
“It happened because he relapsed. Lydia came home early from an event in London and found Arg a bit out of it.
“She’s absolutely devastated."
After dating since their teens, Lydia was the love of Arg’s life and he hadn’t given up hope that they might get back together.
He told heat magazine in May 2016: “Of course, I'm hoping that we'll get back together in the near future.”
He also insisted he wanted to focus on himself and after years of yoyo dieting get back into shape.
He revealed: "I was really close to having a torso this time last year. I had a bit of a setback, but I know I can do it again.”
An official show source told The Sun Online: "James is continuing to take an extended break from the show while he continues to work on his wellbeing. We continue to support him and wish him well."