Lucy Mecklenburgh 'turns down TOWIE reunion special'

Lucy Mecklenburgh has reportedly had to turn down the upcoming \'TOWIE\' reunion special.

The 29-year-old star - who made her name on \'The Only Way Is Essex\' from 2010 to 2013 - is said to have rejected an offer to appear on the one-off 10th anniversary episode because she couldn\'t find the time after welcoming her son Roman into the world in March with partner Ryan Thomas.

An insider told The Sun newspaper\'s Bizarre TV column: "Lucy loves the show and has a real soft spot for it but unfortunately she\'s too busy to fit in filming for the reunion.

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"She has so much going on at the moment. Between being a new parent and her business, there is barely any time she could put aside to be on the show.

"She tried to make it work but when everything was taken into account, something had to give. It\'s sad but not really surprising."

The report comes after Joey Essex previously suggested the upcoming reunion won\'t work without him.

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He said: "I can\'t think how it would work. Realistically there is only one person who would make the show\'s ratings go up and that\'s Joey \'Don\' Essex."

His comments came after \'TOWIE\' star Pete Wicks revealed he\'s love to have Joey back for a one-off, while Amy Childs was also on his list.

He admitted: "I would most like to see Joey Essex back. It would be great to have him back, I get on really well with Joe.

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"Surely he\'d be the one that most people would like to see back?

"Amy Childs is always a laugh, she\'d be a good one to come back. Everyone has played their part in it over the years."