Who Is 'My Big Fat Fabulous Life' star Whitney Thore's Good Friend Ashley Baynes?

Since making its debut on TLC in January 2015, My Big Fat Fabulous Life has become one of the network's biggest success stories. After going viral on YouTube, the reality television show's star, Whitney Way Thore, was able to translate her popularity to the small screen and, along with her family and closest friends, has been raking in the ratings ever since. The Season 1 premiere episode drew in 1.3 million viewers, and the series has shown no signs of slowing down.

For nine seasons, fans of My Big Fat Fabulous have followed the ups and downs of Whitney, who, per TLC, is "embracing her body in a world that judges people by their size. After being diagnosed with PCOS and the success of her 'fat girl' dancing videos, Whitney's choosing to live vivaciously and holding nothing back." From Whitney's fitness journey and her search for love, the starlet's exciting life has definitely kept audiences tuning in.

Whitney's family and friends have also helped her navigate through multiple situations and stages in her life. One of those friends is Ashley Baynes. Who exactly is Ashley? Keep reading to find out more about Whitney's good friend.

If you've been keeping up with TLC's My Big Fat Fabulous Life, then you must know that Ashley and Whitney are pretty much best friends. Since the show's beginning, Whitney has had her bestie appearing alongside her, and fans have wanted to know more about Ashley.

According to Ashley's LinkedIn profile, she currently works at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro as a business services coordinator. Her boyfriend, who's also the father of her 3-year-old daughter Hadley name is Eric. Unfortunately, fans won't get to see Eric because he does not want to appear on the reality series.

While we're not sure how Ashely and Whitney met and became best friends, we do know that they genuinely appreciate one another. On an episode of the My Big Fat Fabulous Life podcast, the two discussed their friendship and said they couldn't pinpoint how they met one another and became so close, and Whitney described Ashley as "really thoughtful" and someone who "always shows up."

She also shared that for her birthday Ashley makes "little key lime pies and decorates the apartment" and told her best friend, "That means so much to me.” Ashley replied, “Well, you get what you give, and you’re always there for me too.” These two are so close that Whitney was even at the birth of Ashley's baby in Season 5, and Ashley helped Whitney pick out her wedding dress when she was planning her wedding with then-fiancé Chase Severino. These two are totally best friend goals!

My Big Fat Fabulous Life airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on TLC.