Lauren Goodger has branded her relationship with Jake McLean "toxic" and admits she's "relieved" it's over.

Lauren Goodger and Jake McLean

Lauren Goodger and Jake McLean

The former 'The Only Way is Essex' star split from the businessman earlier this month but is pleased the pair have called time on their romance after being on/off since 2012 because she can now concentrate on herself and find someone who has "nothing but respect" for her.

She said: "My last relationship [with Mark Wright] was toxic and I jumped straight into a relationship with Jake and that turned out to be toxic, too.

"I don't want that again. I want to find pure love with someone who has nothing but respect for me - until then I'm going to concentrate on myself.

"I don't mean to sound horrible but I'm relieved it's over.

"I've got no one else to worry about other than myself and I love it."

Lauren has admitted their relationship was "quite stressful at times" and she has already started having treatment to remove a tattoo of Jake's name on her wrist, but the brunette star hasn't shed one tear over their split.

She added to OK! magazine: "I haven't cried once. There's no reason to because I didn't want to be with him, so the split is a positive thing.

"I feel like a weight has been lifted. Things between us haven't been right for a long time.

"I'd been planning to end things for a while but I had to wait for the right time to do it.

"We probably should have sat down at the time and spoken about stuff properly, but that would have required Jake to act like an adult, which I don't think he is able to do."

The full interview with Lauren is in this week's OK! magazine.