Chloe Sims has revealed the real reason she abruptly pulled her daughter from filming TOWIE.
The reality star, 42, told she felt uncomfortable by the way Madison, 19, was treated when she appeared on the ITVBe series and instantly regretted putting her child on TV at such a young age.
In an exclusive interview, the mother-of-one said she didn’t allow Madi to use social media until she was 16 years old and even now she can’t bear the teen having an online profile.
Being a protective parent led Chloe to keep Madison out of the limelight as much as possible but she admits trolls have targeted her over their misbelief she was leaving her daughter behind.
Chloe has revealed Madison was always in the background during filming and while she doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps on reality TV, she does see herself on stage.
Speaking to , Chloe said: ‘I didn’t show Madi a lot when I was on TOWIE. When she was little, I let her do a couple of scenes and I didn’t like the way she was treated so I pulled her back out and said I didn’t want her filming.
‘Madi didn’t understand because she was so young, and I thought this wasn’t her choice and I’m putting her on TV, and this isn’t something she has signed up to at five years old. I felt very protective of her, and I didn’t want her on camera, and I tried to shield her from that whole world.
Chloe Sims has revealed the real reason she abruptly pulled her daughter from filming TOWIE
The reality star told she felt uncomfortable by the way Madison was treated when she appeared on the series and instantly regretted putting her child on TV at such a young age
‘When I was filming TOWIE throughout those years a lot of people didn’t realise that she was with me like when we went to Marbella, she was with me, her and her nan, they would be in the room with me.
‘I was trying to do the right thing and protect my child, but I wasn’t seen as a mother. Trolls would say where’s your daughter. It was tricky navigating that.
‘It’s a scary decision putting your child on TV because you’re exposing them. I’m quite a nervous person anyhow and I think the worst of things, I didn’t want anyone looking at my daughter, I’m very protective. I do keep her out of the public eye as much as possible.’
Chloe admits she dislikes her daughter being online because she can see how the pressures of social media are deeply affecting teenage girls.
The TV star says if it wasn’t for her career on the small screen, she wouldn’t use Instagram as even as a 42 year old adult, it can damage her self-esteem.
She said: ‘I am a mum of a 19-year-old daughter. She is my best friend, she is so funny and has grown into her own person, but she is a little bit sassy sometimes, she has a lot of my personality. She is the love of my life.
‘I didn’t let Madi have social media for ages. I think she was 16 when I agreed to let her have it and I still hate her having it to this day, I can’t bare it. If I wasn’t in this industry, I wouldn’t have it. If you want to feel bad about yourself, just have a little scroll.
‘Luckily, she isn’t pursuing a reality TV career, but Madison has a really great voice and is good at singing and likes performing arts and acting.
‘She was going to drama school in LA. She can sing opera, she has an amazing voice, I don’t know where she got it from because I can’t sing a note. She’s more into singing, which I’m happy for because it’s an actual talent.’
Chloe admits she dislikes her daughter being online because she can see how the pressures of social media are deeply affecting teenage girls
Despite starring on TOWIE, Celebs Go Dating, and her own series The House of Sims, Chloe says she dreads the idea of her daughter showing any interest in reality TV
Chloe, pictured alongside friend Rita Ora, insists the mounting pressure to be ‘skinny’ following the rise of celebrity weight loss drug Ozempic ‘drives her mad’
Despite starring on TOWIE, Celebs Go Dating, and her own series The House of Sims, Chloe says she dreads the idea of her daughter showing any interest in reality TV and her worst nightmare would be Madison joining the cast of Love Island.
She argues the dating show needs to have more diverse body types and admits she finds watching the series ‘difficult’ as a parent.
Chloe insists the mounting pressure to be ‘skinny’ following the rise of celebrity weight loss drug Ozempic ‘drives her mad’ as she urges TV bosses to move forward with equal representation during the casting process.
She said: ‘If Madi turned around one day and said she wanted to go on Love Island I would probably try and talk her out of it.
‘I really feel like they need to sort that show out. They say they’re being inclusive but they’re not. As a parent, it is difficult to watch your teenage child.
‘I don’t want to dig them out, but I don’t feel they’re very inclusive when it comes to body image, we have moved on from those days. We need to see real bodies and real women. Everybody has moved on except from reality TV.
‘It still impacts women of my age seeing images of people looking perfect. With all of this shoved down your throat… You might be enjoying a nice Chinese on a Saturday night and then you see 10 perfect bodies of 20-year-olds on the TV, I mean come on. There is such a pressure all the time to be skinny, it just drives me mad.
‘I can’t be bothered thinking, I better not have that cake and constant pressure, at 42 I’m like for God’s sake… I don’t want to be worrying about these things, and I certainly don’t want my daughter worrying. I have to be very on it with her and make sure she knows that everybody’s body is different.’
It has been years since Chloe has spoken properly to her sisters Frankie and Demi after the family had an almighty fallout, which was captured on their reality series the House of Sims
Chloe, pictured with cousin Joey Essex and Jonathan Cheban, has been living the Los Angeles dream but all is about to change
Three years ago, Chloe uprooted her life in Essex and started a new chapter Stateside.
She became the producer and star of reality series House of Sims, which follows the ups and downs of her family including younger brother Charlie and sisters Frankie and Demi.
The second season, available to watch on streaming giant Netflix, was particularly difficult for Chloe to film as it documented the aftermath of her fallout with her sisters, which still remains unresolved to this day.
Despite longing for a reconciliation, Chloe admits she doesn’t know how to resolve their issues, with the once tight-knit family unit currently in tatters.
She said: ‘The latest series was hard to film because at the time we had some buildup in our family, and it was the first time we had come face to face on camera.
‘We all had strong feelings about the argument and there were a lot of cross wires. It still hasn’t been resolved and everyone is standing by their word.
‘It’s sad that we haven’t been able to resolve our issues. We haven’t actually seen each other since filming the last episode. It has come out on Netflix now which is a bittersweet feeling, it’s the dream but it’s not the dream series…
‘I hope the argument will resolve itself and not because I’m worried about the show, it’s more about my extended family, the immediate family, it has put them in a difficult position.
‘I want to move on from it but where I am in my life, I’m busy and obviously my main priority is my daughter. I have put it on the back burner, and they are all the same.
‘This public fallout is really embarrassing. It’s not what I ever wanted. I feel embarrassed about it and it’s not something that I’m taking lightly.’
The star, seen with close friend Vas J Morgan, revealed she has purchased an apartment in New York and will be moving to the Big Apple in the New Year
She has become fully immersed in the LA lifestyle, mingling with A-list stars at award show afterparties and previously dating the likes of Lionel Richie’s son Miles.
On Thursday night, she attended Paris Hilton’s concert at the Hollywood Palladium, where Kim Kardashian was also a guest.
But since spending two weeks in New York with close friend Vas J Morgan, Chloe has been won over by the bright lights of the big city.
The star revealed she has purchased an apartment in the Big Apple and will be moving to her Carrie Bradshaw inspired digs in the New Year.
She said: ‘I have fallen in love with New York. It’s literally like walking around in a movie set.
‘I have done an impulsive thing and decided to buy an apartment there. I’m going to love in Carrie Bradshaw’s block, I’m going for it, I’m 43 next week and I feel like what have I got to lose?
‘I really think I could meet my husband in New York and I’m not even joking. It is the dream city for a single woman of my age. There are a lot of hot guys, more than I’ve seen in London and LA.
‘I really do feel like it’s my home and I have finally found it. I started to feel a little bit lost in Los Angeles whereas there are a lot of people my age in the city.’