Carol Wright has opened up about the famous family’s Christmas plans this year – and the moment she turned detective after finding messages on her husband’s mobile!
Since shooting to fame on The Only Way Is Essex, the Wright family have followed very different career paths, with Mark going into presenting and sister Jess embracing brand deals. But they’ll all be back together under one roof for Christmas as mum Carol is hosting her four children and four grandchildren. “We’re all going to be together as a family,” Jess, 40, tells us. “And we love a glass of champagne here and there.”
Laughing, Carol adds, “One or two – or three or four!” Carol and husband Mark Sr will be welcoming daughters Jess and Natalya, and sons Mark and Josh, as well as their partners and kids. And it’s set to be an extra special Christmas for Mark Jr and his wife, actress Michelle Keegan, as it’s the first one they’ll be celebrating with their baby daughter Palma.
Jess reveals that nine-month-old Palma is already best pals with her cousins – Jess’s three-year-old son Presley and Josh’s sons, Joshua Jr, three, and Dustin, two.
“All the kids are adorable together. It’ll be lovely to all be together for Christmas,” she says. Carol gushes, “I’ve got four grandchildren, and they’re all just so gorgeous.”
But there won’t be much downtime for the Wrights this festive season, as there are plenty of family plans keeping them busy in the run-up to Christmas. “We’re going to Lapland – not Finland, but the UK one – with the children,” Carol says. “Then we’ve got Disney On Ice planned.”
Although they’re excited about the entire clan coming together, Jess and Natalya warn things may get a bit heated in the kitchen when it comes to Christmas dinner. “We’ve always got family feuds over silly little things,” Jess says.
“Like, who’s got the best Christmas trees?” And model Natalya, 25, adds, “And who makes the best roast dinner.” Although she readily admits it’s Carol who’s the reigning champion. “It’s got to be Mum,” she says.
Jess adds, “She’s hosting us all this year, so she’s going to have to live up to that. There are always pictures of people’s dinners going into our group chat and them saying whose food looks better.”
Carol, Jess and Natalya already spend a lot of quality time together thanks to their new podcast, Wright At Home. The trio chat about motherhood, pop culture and family drama, including the time Carol became convinced her husband was having an affair.
“I was looking through his phone and saw messages saying, ‘Hi love, how are you? Can’t wait to meet you,’ and all this,” Carol explains. “I was thinking, ‘Who is this? What are these messages?’
“Then I rang the number and it was my niece! It turned out Jess had given her dad her old phone to use and they were actually old messages to Jess from her cousins.”
Sometimes, drama even develops from something as simple as what Jess, Natalya and Carol have decided to wear that day. “We do squabble sometimes because this one doesn’t like this outfit and that one doesn’t like that outfit,” Carol admits.
Jess says, “There’s the odd rift here and there but it’s generally nice. It’s all about the dynamics between mothers and daughters and what goes on behind the scenes.”
Carol and Natalya have been a big support for Jess after her son Presley was diagnosed with a rare heart condition last year. The toddler will need open-heart surgery later in life for his Bicuspid Aortic Valve, and he needs regular check-ups.
But despite his significant health battles, he’s doing well, proud mum Jess says. “He’s good. We did a gala in April to raise money for the charity. That’s important to us.
“We’ve got his next check at the beginning of the year so we won’t know much more until then,” she says. “The checks are every four months now. But my family are really, really great and rally around us. Everyone’s in it together.”
It’s been eight years since Carol and Jess left TOWIE, bringing their reality TV chapter to an end. But although they admit filming it was an “intense” experience, they still have a lot of respect for the show.
“None of us can look back and regret it because it’s why we are here today doing this type of work,” Carol says. “It all stems from being on the show.”
Jess adds, “It was amazing. It was obviously a big shock factor when it first got released all those years ago. It was one of the first of its kind. Having been on TOWIE and let the viewers in, it was intense but amazing – and it’s still going. We can all look back on it with fond memories.”
As for the New Year, the family are looking forward to taking it easy after what’s sure to be a fun, but chaotic Christmas. “I think it’s always important to start off the new year with a fresh mindset and a good work ethic,” Jess says. “We’ll probably need a good detox after the madness of Christmas!”
Wright At Home is available on all podcast platforms, with new episodes every Tuesday.
