MARK Wright’s cousin has revealed her biggest dating fears after her domestic abuse nightmare.
Leah, 45, is set to return to TV for the first time in 14 years as she makes an appearance on Channel 4‘s First Dates tonight.
Leah Wright has revealed her dating fears after her domestic abuse hell[/caption]
Leah appears on Channel 4’s First Dates tonight[/caption]
The mum-of-three said admitted it took courage to throw herself back out into the dating world after her horrific ordeal.
She shared on Instagram: “It’s been four years since I left my abuser, and a year since I came out as a survivor.
“The last few years have been about healing myself, getting myself in a stronger place, and obviously it is very scary to put yourself back out there again.
“Then there’s that voice in your head saying, ‘will I ever be a good judge of character again’ after everything you’ve gone through with that person who’s meant to love you.
“It makes you over think everything.”
Last September she bravely opened up about being in a domestic relationship for “many years”.
Leah, who is the cousin of TV personality Mark and the older sister of Elliott Wright and first appeared on Towie in 2011.
The ex-reality star said to the Mail that she was “nervous” to take part but got reassurance from cousin Jess Wright, who did Celebrity First Dates back in 2016 and told her to “go for it”.
She said: “I wanted to let other women know that it’s not easy to put yourself out there. It is so scary to put your trust into someone else, even walking into a date, to do that is a lot.”
Leah said there was a lot of “self-doubt” when it came to deciding if she was ready to date again.
“Am I ready to even have a date with somebody and feel that confidence in myself again,” she told the publication.
“There’s a lot of self doubt when you’ve been through abuse. I’ve sat there and thought, am I good enough? Am I good enough for someone else, am I too damaged? Am I going to ruin this?
“You still have those traumas that really haunt you.”
The businesswoman admitted the friendly crew and staff made it an enjoyable experience and instantly put her at “ease”.
Channel 4 viewers will watch Leah go on a date with a single dad in tonight’s episode.
Leah added that her family are proud of how far she’s come and in a “positive” space as she continues to help other women and charities.
Last year, she teamed up with charity Refuge to share her story, admitting her journey to justice was a “long and emotional” one.
In a clip shared on the charity‘s Instagram page, Leah said: “When you are manipulated that much that you are scared to leave, the first thing is you don’t know where to go.
“Do I call a number? Am I going to get caught calling that number?
For many years I went through life not thinking about evidence, not thinking about anything – not knowing laws, not knowing if I can get help from the government, not knowing that I would be okay.’
“And I think that is a message that I just want to give, that you are going to be okay.
“I’ve gone through court, and I was believed in the end, it was big fight, a long fight, an emotional fight, and it took a lot of strength.”
Leah – who quit Towie after four years and now runs her own recruitment agency – did not name her abuser.
The former reality star was flooded with messages of support, including a sweet note from her mum Debbie who said: “Well done my darling. Now your voice is heard. Stay strong, you will get there.”
Someone else wrote: “Leah you’re brave and strong. Well done coming out speaking about it to help others.”
And a third added: “Very brave young lady! So important to speak up.”
Leah shares daughter Aurelia, 14, and sons Sergio, 19, and Chris, 12, with her ex-husband, who she split from in 2021 after seven years of marriage.