How Megan McKenna went from Essex ‘psycho’ to ‘lonely’ mumfluencer after ‘losing her sparkle’…as major fall out revealed

STANDING in her stunning kitchen in Germany, without a scrap of make-up on, Megan McKenna couldn’t have looked happier as she cooked son Landon, one, his latest meal. 

It’s hard to imagine that the sweetly smiling woman lovingly preparing wholesome food is the same person who famously screamed in Pete Wicks’ face in the street nearly a decade ago, earning herself the nickname ‘Mental Meg’.  And while her Instagram might ooze tradwife vibes, insiders tell us life might not be quite as rosy as she makes out – and why her personality overhaul was too little too late for one pal.

The 33-year-old Essex native has undergone a remarkable transformation since she first appeared on TV in 2015 – going from a ‘psycho’ throwing tantrums on the telly to a zen mumfluencer, creating country music in between and now living the life of luxury in Europe with her footballer husband Oliver Burke. 

Some of Megan’s biggest rows ended up getting aired on TV. She was given a warning for her volatile behaviour in Celebrity Big Brother in 2016 and, the following year, there were endless onscreen screaming matches when she joined Towie. 

She was a demanding diva with a capital D. I want, I get

Insider on Megan’s old behaviour

My insider explained: “Having a baby with a footballer means Megan is now living like a lottery winner. It has afforded her a lifestyle from her wildest dreams. She might be cooking down-to-earth dinners like toad in the hole on her Instagram, but in reality, she’s eating fillet steak and caviar and washing it down with champagne. 

“It’s a long way from her life on Towie. 

“Back then, she was Megan the motormouth – she was an absolute nightmare. She was a demanding diva with a capital D. I want, I get.”

Now it’s Landon who gets it all – one glance at her Instagram, and it’s clear to see what an incredible mum Megan is.

Her days are spent preparing nutritious home-cooked meals from scratch for him, which she always films for her followers.

Landon couldn’t look happier or more engaged in the sweet clips, but the same can’t be said for Megan. 

The insider continued:  “Some people feel sorry for Megan. She documents everything on camera for her followers – you can see what she’s up to every day, but there’s a sadness in her eyes.

“Behind the lens, it’s clear Megan is quite lonely. It’s something new mums often struggle with, but Megan even more so now she’s living in Germany, away from her friends and family. 

“She’s very isolated and filming content for her Instagram fans helps her feel less alone, but it’s quite sad really because in real life she doesn’t have loads of people around her and she doesn’t get to see her family as much as she would like to.

“It feels like Megan’s sparkle has gone, and maybe she would be happier being back on TV and home in the UK surrounded by her family and the few friends she has left.”

I can reveal Megan parted ways with her closest confidant nine months ago when she quietly separated from her manager and publicist Jade Reuben.

It [the fall out] meant a big change for Megan, who suddenly went from having support 24/7 to nothing

Insider

The pair, who started working together in 2015, were much more than just work colleagues – they were inseparable for years, and Jade became Megan’s shoulder to cry on throughout her tumultuous time in the limelight.

My source explained: “Mental Megs would still rear her ugly head every now and again, and it was her poor long-suffering publicist Jade who ended up getting it in the neck, and it became difficult to work together. She caused Jade real headaches, and in the end, she felt it was not worth the hassle. 

“It meant a big change for Megan, who suddenly went from having support 24/7 to nothing.”

She is now signed to UK talent management heavyweight YMU, which looks after some of the leading names in UK TV, including Davina McCall, Emma Willis and Stacey ­Solomon.

The man who calmed her

Fortunately, by this point, Megan was married to Oliver after the pair tied the knot in June last year during a lavish ceremony at Grantley Hall in North Yorkshire.

Oliver plays for Bundesliga club 1. FC Union Berlin, so she relocated to be close to him.

Her relationship with Oliver, who she met on celebrity dating app Raya in 2023, couldn’t be further from those she’s had in the past.

Their first date was at a fancy London eatery, Bacchanalia in Mayfair, and it was not long until he was showering her with designer gifts. Just five months later, he proposed. 

Oliver appears to be very chilled and zen. He’s focused on his football career, keeping fit and family life and it’s thought he’s as passionate off the pitch as he is on it.

The insider explained: “Usually drama follows Megan around, but since she got with Oliver, nothing has happened at all. 

Megan has had to calm down to keep her perfect man

Insider

“It’s probably because Oliver knows how to keep Megan happy – he spoils her rotten, buying her expensive new bags and jewellery and treating her to luxury hotels and the finest restaurants. She would be crazy to ruin it. Megan has had to calm down to keep her perfect man.

“Men were left quaking in their boots – Pete Wicks lasted longer than most, but their romance was incredibly fiery.

“They would even have screaming matches in the street. They would both say how they were absolutely nuts together – they even joked they would end up killing each other. It was a recipe for disaster from the beginning, and they were both just far too wild and crazy to ever work romantically. 

“It’s why things work with Oliver and why Megan has been able to eventually calm down.”

Megan previously claimed her temper stemmed from being hurt by an early boyfriend.

She explained: “People think I’m an absolute b**ch and call me a psycho – but I’m not. I do cry over things. Any girl that has been in my situation where they’ve been hurt by a boy will understand.”

But she was well aware that there needed to be a shift, adding: “The way I dealt with things in the past with my exes was by screaming, and that was not a good way to deal with it.”

Mental Meg certainly seems to be retired for now – let’s hope it stays that way.