Former reality TV star Lauren Goodger enjoyed having a bit of fun with her fans over Christmas as she posted what appeared to be an ultrasound on her Instagram account, triggering the immediate reaction that she might be pregnant.

On closer inspection, however, the ‘baby’ in the middle of the black and white picture was actually a turkey.

Goodger captioned the picture “Happy Boxing Day”, which immediately sparked dozens of comments from her followers congratulating her. “OMG hope she is! She deserves to be happy,” one fan wrote, with another asking “Is she pregnant?”

More sharp-eyed fans quickly pointed out that the only baby Lauren was currently having was of the food variety. “It’s a turkey people… is she pregnant! Hilarious!” one user said. “Haha! Her man is in prison, how would she get pregnant? Immaculate conception. It's clearly a joke, lighten up!”

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30 year old Lauren, who has pursued a career as a beautician and a model since she quit ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ back in 2012, has made no secret of her desire to become a mother. In an interview earlier this month, she said that she was planning to have her first child “next year”, saying “I’m so excited about having a baby. There will be a LG range and everything.”

However, her current boyfriend Joey Morrison is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for possession of a firearm, kidnap and blackmail.

After she posted a separate picture of a white gold and diamond ring that Joey had bought her, she revealed that she had spent the festive period with Morrison’s family.

“It’s really narrow minded that people see him as a criminal. Yes, he’s [Joey] not been an angel but people deserve a second chance and his crimes never involved innocent people,” Goodger told Closer magazine earlier this year in response to criticism over her choice of boyfriend.

More: Lauren Goodger and Mark Wright clash after Mark’s Twitter rant [archive]