Big Brother contestant and LJMU student Lauren Carre has opened up to JMU Journalism about how her life has changed since her time on the show.
Lauren spent the summer on Big Brother 13 and is now back at Liverpool John Moores studying Sociology and Criminology, and when we put her in the Redmonds Building version of the Diary Room chair, she revealed that her new-found fame is difficult to deal with at times.
She said: “It’s nice to get back to normal life again, but people recognise you when you’re walking to lectures and it is actually quite scary, it gets a bit too much.
“If I walk through town, some people will just point and whisper, but other people will just run up to me as if they’ve known me for 20 years and start hugging me and stuff. It’s really weird.”
The 21-year-old originally comes from Jersey, but has studied in Liverpool for the past two years. She said: “Being in halls did not prepare me for Big Brother at all. All through the auditions I kept saying I’d be fine, because I lived with seven people, but it was so much harder living in the house.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJqjqW887QE
Lauren auditioned for the show in the middle of her second year exams, despite her mother’s disapproval: “My Mum went absolutely mad, but I never actually expected to get in. I went with the intention of sussing out the audition process, so I could be prepared and apply for the year after,” she said.
During her time in the house, Lauren quickly formed a bond with a group of friends that later became known as ‘The Outsiders’. She says that her friends at uni are quite similar to the friendships she formed in the house: “I have a weird bunch of friends, there’s people from all different courses and all different walks of life. We’re just like the outsiders, but I suppose that’s just me.”
Her favourite part of the student lifestyle is the nightlife. She said: “I absolutely love Medication, I haven’t been since I got out of the house but I’m going on Wednesday and I can’t wait.
“I really need to show my Big Brother housemates the Liverpool nightlife. Luke A [who won the show] is in Chester for a few weeks, so I want to take him out. I really should take him to some nice sophisticated places but I’ll probably end up taking him to Garlands, Medication and Bumper!”
However, she was keen to warn new JMU students that over indulging on the nightlife could have serious consequences on their studies: “To make the most of your first year, you should go out and live it up as much as you can, but also go to your lectures and work hard.
“If you don’t put in that work, you end up feeling quite lost! I wish I’d put in more effort in my first year.”