Lucy Mecklenburgh thinks she was "too young" when she joined ‘The Only Way Is Essex’.
The former TOWIE star has revealed she banned her sister Lydia from taking part in the ITVBe show because she thought she was too young and now admits she herself should probably have waited until she was older to join.
She said: "She got asked to go on TOWIE quite a few times but I always said no.
"She was young, she was 17 and I think that’s too young. I was 19 and I think that was even still probably too young."
The 23-year-old beauty – who is dating Olympic gymnast Louis Smith – advised her sister to finish her studies before getting swept up in the celebrity lifestyle.
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "She was offered other TV work and modelling work and stuff and I’ve said that’s great.
"I say, ‘When you’ve finished uni [university] you can do what you want. My advice is stay in uni and get your grades’.
"She’s quite shy and sweet and I’m not sure TOWIE would have been right for her.
"She loves uni and that’s what’s right for her."
And in a bid to keep her sister looking and feeling good while partying at university, the fitness fanatic sends her meal guides and exercise plans.
Lucy added: "She’s quite health conscious like me. She finds it hard though. Obviously they are out drinking a lot so I send her juices and food plans and she uses Results with Lucy with all her flatmates. She tries to keep fit as much as she can."
Lucy Mecklenburgh: I was ‘too young’ for The Only Way Is Essex
