Love it or hate it, reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex has put the UK county on the map, made fake tans in mid-winter fashionable and introduced the words ‘well-jel’ and ‘vajazzle’ to the English vocabulary.

What some of the cast of ‘real people’ lack in bristling intellect and sophistication, they make up for with bling, glamor and juicy gossip.

Entering its sixth series in July, TOWIE now has a cult following of millions and has fast become a hit with many gay fans.