Debbie Bright EXCLUSIVE: TOWIE star reveals the agony of giving up babies as a foster parent... while discussing the chaos of 28 years of caring for kids

Published: 08:10 BST, 27 June 2018 | Updated: 10:56 BST, 27 June 2018

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Over the past 28 years Debbie Douglas, 57, and Dave Bright have fostered children.

And the TOWIE star confesses she adores the chaos of life as a carer, while also juggling her own four children, yet admits the devastation of giving up babies she has looked after since they were just days old.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline at the Polo At The Manor event at Wales' Celtic Manor Resort earlier this month, the reality favourite candidly discussed her life as a foster parent and the highs and lows of the tough yet rewarding job.

Heartwarming: Over the past 28 years Debbie Douglas, 57, and Dave Bright have fostered children and the TOWIE star spoke to MailOnline about life as a foster parent (pictured last year)

Debbie burst on to TV screens nearly eight years ago in a supporting role on The Only Way Is Essex in support of her reality star daughter Lydia, before garnering huge praise from fans as one of the loving mums of the show.

While she has kept her fostering off screens, Debbie has always spoken with passion about the work yet admits there are difficulties with the job.

She told MailOnline: 'The hardest thing is when you have to give up babies, when you take a baby from a week old, a year or 18 months have to move on, that’s heartbreaking. You have to remember you are just part of their journey...

'Some of the behaviours are so difficult to deal with. It’s much harder to unlearn behaviours than to learn them. If you don’t get a child until they’re 10, sometimes you can break through but sometimes you can’t...

Heart of gold: And the TOWIE star confesses she adores the chaos of life as a carer, while also juggling her own four children, yet admits the devastation of giving up babies she has looked after since they were just days old (pictured in 2016)

'You know that child is going to have a difficult life, but they have to go through that journey to become that person they’ll become in later life'.

She has always praised her own children, Lydia, 27, Georgia, 28, Freddie, 19, and Romana, 14, for the positive effect they have had on their foster siblings.

She continued: 'I’m 57 now, so I started fostering 27/28 years ago, my kids were both babies. For us it's our lifestyle, all four of my kids don’t know any different, it’s a lifestyle, they’re used to sharing their mum and dad.'

Of her partner Dave, she said: 'My relationship with Dave has been very like that, we’ve been very involved in caring the pair of us.

The whole clan: Speaking exclusively to MailOnline at the Polo At The Manor event at Wales' Celtic Manor Resort earlier this month, the reality favourite candidly discussed her life as a foster parent (pictured with Dave, Georgia, Roma, Lydia, Lydia's boyfriend Lee and Freddie)

Ups and downs: 'You know that child is going to have a difficult life, but they have to go through that journey to become that person they’ll become in later life'

'For us its normality, for us we live in a life of chaos, it’s organised chaos. The one thing you must actually be, the number one thing you have to be is flexible.'

Detailing the rewards, she said: 'The most rewarding thing is knowing you’re making a difference, when I speak to the older children they’re the ones that come back and tell me I’ve made a difference. Just being tucked into bed made a difference'.

On how she got started, Debbie said: 'I never really heard of fostering, my belief is people think too much about it and overthink it too much. You probably will be told by professionals you have to. For me, when you overthink things you make things more complicated than they are.'

The whole clan: She has always praised her own children, Lydia, 27, Georgia, 28, Freddie, 19, and Romana, 14, for the positive effect they have had on their foster siblings

When asked if fostering was for everyone, she said: 'I just think something you’ve got to be passionate about it, wake up every morning and get fulfilment out of it, giving something back. Mentally you shouldn’t put an age group on it, physically I’m able, I’ve got a baby in placement.

'I’m able to do swimming, two hour feeds, if it got to an age where I couldn’t do that then physically I would have to stop.'

The Polo At The Manor event comes just two weeks before the Celebrity Cup at the manor, sponsored by Bulmers, and featuring a bevy of super star guests.

Taking place over the weekend, fans will be treated to a superstar turnout, with stars including Mike Tindall, James Nesbitt and Jenni Falconer set to appear.