Lucy Mecklenburgh has revealed before and after photos in a post shared to Instagram on Monday after undergoing an intense microneedling treatment.

The ex TOWIE star, 34, ditched her usual glam for a makeup-free 'before' look and then shared her red face after the treatment, as she tried to reassure her fans by promising 'it looks worse than it is'.

Sitting in her car, Lucy, who has been engaged to Ryan Thomas for seven years, showed her illuminated red skin after her treatment as she sat in her car.

In her clip, she said that 22-year-old her would have been 'devastated' by the results, and the fact she had been papped afterwards, but now she confessed she 'doesn't care'.

Clarifying that it wasn't painful, she went on to explain that she didn't feel anything that would be the result of the numbing cream.

For the treatment, Lucy stepped out in a pink gym top and a pair of Prada sunglasses.   

Seven years after Ryan popped the question to Lucy in Positano, Italy, the pair have still not tied the knot.

The couple, who fell in love in 2017 while filming Channel 4 show Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls, have previously claimed the reason they haven't said 'I do' is due to life getting in the way.

After getting engaged in June 2019, a year later Covid-19 hit forcing Ryan and Lucy as well as several other couples to put their nuptials on hold.

During that time, the couple started their family welcoming two children, Roman, six, and Lilah, three, and plans for their big day were put on hold.

Now the real reason behind Ryan and Lucy delaying being legally bound to each other has been revealed as sources claim Lucy wants to remain financially independent after Ryan's previous struggles with money.

A source told The Sun: 'Lucy comes from money – her dad Paul is very wealthy and has an extensive property portfolio, so she and her two sisters will inherit a lot from him one day. Lucy listens to everything her father says, and she has always been very financially literate.

'She was raised to understand money and be very careful with it, and as soon as she started making money from TOWIE, her dad taught her to make careful investments.

'Ryan, on the other hand, has admitted to making a lot of mistakes with money and not being financially savvy in the past. As much as Lucy loves him, it wouldn't be entirely sensible for her to legally bind her finances in with Ryan's, which would be the case if they were man and wife.

'Of course they share some money, and they have property together, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lucy has been advised to protect her interests. Ryan has worked to claw himself back from his previous money woes, and she is really proud of him, but if he ever got into difficulties again, it could affect her credit rating and have big implications for her own finances if they were married.'

Before the pair met, Ryan was declared bankrupt in 2013, despite earning £100,000 a year on Coronation Street at the time.

He spiralled into debt over an unpaid £40,000 tax bill, and while his bankruptcy is now over, it still casts a shadow in his life.

Just last year, it was revealed his company R James Thomas Ltd, which takes in cash from his TV and endorsement work, had just £1 in its accounts.

Annual accounts filed to Companies House show just a solitary quid in the company account for the 12 months to the end of January 2025.

At the time, the books also revealed he owed more than £30,000 of a Covid Bounce Back Loan.

In the UK, while bankruptcy is generally wiped from your credit reports after six years, certain bankruptcy restrictions can last up to 15 years.

Furthermore, if an application asks for your full financial history, the bankruptcy must be disclosed, regardless of how long ago it happened.

However, another source insisted to the publication that the real reason Lucy and Ryan haven't tied the knot is due to the couple being 'happy as they are' being parents to young children and having busy careers.

Daily Mail have contacted Lucy and Ryan's representatives for comment.