The Only Way Is Essex star, Tom Pearce, has hit back at claims that all the cast are all “uneducated idiots” (after he looked up what it meant).

According to the Sun Newspaper, Tom, who was seen on Wednesday nights Marbella summer special of the hit ITV2 show, The Only way Is Marbs, making his serious relationship intentions known to girlfriend Lauren Pope, has had enough of people thinking that all the cast are a bunch of air heads (just Lauren Goodger then?)

Speaking in Huffington Post blog, the reality show star said: “We’re not all uneducated idiots, no matter what the critics might think.”

“For what it’s worth, I’ve got a first in economics from Loughborough and, believe it or not, Diags is a former law student.

“Jessica Wright has got a degree in business and marketing management and is very bright.”

Despite this, Tom did go on to say that the cast-mates did not engage in deep political and philosophical debates once the cameras were turned off (of course they don’t, it would make Joey’s head explode), and steered clear of such topics for the show as they feel it would bore viewers (and lets face it, they could just turn over to Made In Chelsea for that!).

He said: “People watch Towie to be entertained, not lectured. It’s not Newsnight or Panorama.”

Meanwhile, Tom’s co-’star’ Lauren Goodger has been getting the wrong sort of attention this week after the media (We were about to write fans then, but who would believe it?) caught on to the fact that whilst she had announced on social networking site, Twitter, that she was going to be attending a  charity event, she was later pictured looking rather worse for wear (more so than usual) stumbling out of a nightclub instead.

According to reports in the Sun newspaper, the reality diva had been booked to appear at Headmasters salon in Surbiton, south west London, on Thursday for a casino night to support the Kids Company charity, but after she failed to turn up, paps located her  at Faces nightclub in Essex, alongside ex-fiancé Mark Wright.

Obviously blissfully unaware that she had been photographed (first time for everything) Lauren grabbed a shovel and dug the hole a bit deeper the next morning when she took to social networking site, Twitter to tweet: “Thank u for having me for Charity event head masters hair salon last night for a great cause… x” The message was deleted hours later.

This did not go down well with one insider for the paper who branded her behaviour  as “sick”, saying: “Lauren had been invited, she had confirmed and then she didn’t turn up and we all looked like idiots.

“We thought, ‘Oh well’ – until she took to Twitter to make herself look good.”

Kids Company – who support vulnerable inner-city children – declined to comment.

A spokesman for Lauren said last night: “Lauren apologised for not going to the event. However she was told by one of the organisers that she didn’t have to go.

“Had the organisers gone through the correct channels to book Lauren, this would not have happened.

“She does a lot for charity and is constantly supporting worthwhile causes.”

This couldn’t come at a worse time for the Jodie Marsh wannabe, who recently admitted she wanted to swap her curves for a six-pack, as she is in the centre of a Twitter hate campaign, but it would seem that she has someone on her side, as Mark Wright has come out to publicly defend his ex!

Former TOWIE co-star and ex fiance, Mark Wright, has hit out against the internet hate trolls who have been bullying his former fiancée, whilst admitting that he has been a target of the nasty harassment too!

According to The Sun Newspaper, Wright has admitted to receiving the same type of abusive messages as Lauren, saying: “I don’t get upset. I take the nine out of ten positive messages I get and I overrule the one bad.

“It is about riding above it — people have their opinions but I have got fans who give me positive comments and they are the ones I take notice of.”

He added: “I am not friends with Lauren any more but I wish her all the best.”

Not friends you say Mark?  Well then how come you were out partying with her?

We may have stumbled on the reason why Lauren turned down the opportunity to be centre of attention at the charity event she blew off to go clubbing, Mark Wright was at the same club!

Wright, who was pictured only days before waving a tearful farewell to holiday romance Chelsea Rashoff after finishing filming on his new reality show, Mark Wright’s Hollywood Nights in, you guessed it, Hollywood, Mark spent the evening partying, and flirting, without a second thought for his volley-ball holiday romance.

And Lauren made sure she was in sight throughout the entire night (no change there then), so we are wondering if the meeting was really by chance, or whether it might have been planned!

It does make you wonder, as Lauren has recently spoken out about her ex (again) claiming that she was over him in one breath , but opposing his claims that they were not friends in another.

According to reports in The Mirror newspaper, Goodger said:“I’m finally getting over him! But we are friends. I don’t know what will happen in the future but, at the minute, I don’t want to be with anyone, including him.”

Yet, despite them being in the same club, and Wright saying nice things about the salon owner for the first time ever, it would seem that at then end of the night the ex-lovers went their separate ways as Mark tweeted: “I’m being good. On the way home 2 my bed 4 the 1st time in 6weeks. Faces was great as per usual but I’m on this morning 2mo so have 2 b good.”