Living Life the Essex Way (20 page)

Family is really important in Essex – we are probably quite old-fashioned in that way, but families tend to be very close-knit. Everyone sticks together, and there doesn’t seem to be
so much of a generation gap between parents and their kids that I see outside of Essex. For example, even as a teenager, I’d have thought nothing of going for dinner and drinks with my
parents – it can be a good night out! But teenagers elsewhere seem to have the mentality that they wouldn’t be seen dead doing that. In Essex people are generally proud of their
families.

Look at the Wright family, for example. I love them. They all have such total love and respect for Nanny Pat, and she clearly does for them. She is great and has the best sense of humour and so
many stories to tell – she really has ‘been there, done that’, and she is a proper credit to the family. And Carol would do anything for her kids – Mark and Jess, who are on
the show, and also Natalya and Josh, who aren’t – and is so proud of them. Proud mums are brilliant – mine is the same! It is obvious the Wrights all love each other loads. For
me, they really represent a true Essex family.

Another true Essex sentiment is a real loyalty to the area. While people from Essex can criticise it, people from outside are not allowed to! There is nothing more annoying than people who have
never been, going on about Essex stereotypes. It is definitely no one else’s place to pass judgement – especially when they are wrong! So yeah, Essex people are fiercely proud of their
roots, and will always defend their county.

When it comes to the ultimate Essex girl’s icon – that’s a tough one. It is easier to come up with the ultimate Essex guy’s hero, who I reckon would be Lord Sugar. He is
this guy who started with nothing, and now look where he is – pretty inspirational! Although I have to say, he did annoy me when he slagged off
TOWIE
, calling it
‘atrocious’. I would have thought he would remember his own roots, and what it is like when you are starting out and trying to get a foot in the door. I was like ‘Wait a minute,
where did you start out?’ I think that, business-wise, a lot of the cast are probably doing better than he was at our age anyway. I reckon I have earned more money in the last year than he
did when he was my age. So I thought it was a shame that he had to go and slag us off when we were just aiming to be like him.

As far as girls go, if I had to pick an icon, it would probably be Victoria Beckham. She is not quite the perfect idol, but she did start here from nothing, and now look what she has achieved.
And let’s face it, most of us would be happy to be living her life, especially if you got David thrown in!

One person who is definitely not an inspirational Essex girl is Jodie Marsh. Oh my God, she got us all such a bad name on that
Essex Wives
show. That was a bad year for Essex! But she
doesn’t represent the county at all. There are girls like her all over the UK – sadly!

Thinking about other areas of the UK, the place most similar to Essex I’d say is Liverpool. But it is like an exaggerated Essex, so the tans are deeper, the hair is bigger and the make-up
is heavier. Even the partying is more extreme. So whereas we will go out at 8 or 9 p.m. and get home at 2 a.m., after going to one bar and one club, they go out at midnight, go to bar, after bar,
after bar, and then several clubs, before getting home at 6 a.m. It is hardcore, and I don’t know how they do it! It is like being permanently on holiday.

I feel quite relaxed with Scousers. Personality-wise, and in the loyalty they feel for where they are from, they are like us. The main difference I see is that they are more hyperactive.
Sometimes it is too much, and I get a bit overwhelmed when I am there. Essex people are more laid-back. Scousers seem to put all their energy into partying and having fun, whereas an Essex girl
wants to do well in life, so will be concentrating on work and how to improve herself.

My favourite Liverpudlian girl is Gemma Merna. She is stunning, and knows how to have fun without going totally mental. We were introduced by my manager, Adam, as he looks after her as well, and
we just clicked. We don’t see each other that often, but we text and tweet a lot, and if we are in the same town we will go out for dinner and drinks.

The Scousers know how to put effort into their appearance too. They have a similar fashion sense to us, although obviously not as good! They seem to like similar things to us, but don’t
pull them off quite as well, or with as much class. Their fashion is also not as up to date, so as we are growing out of something, they are starting to like it.

And, oh my God, one thing I don’t get about Scousers is this thing of wearing your hair in rollers out on the town during the day. Apparently it is just so that their hair can set in time
for a night out, but it has become like this weird fashion that no one outside Liverpool seems to understand. And actually, I don’t think the lads up there get it either, from what they have
said to me!

I have been photographed with my hair in rollers a few times, but that has just been on the way to filming. It has been me not having enough time to get ready at home and being practical –
it definitely wasn’t a fashion statement! Apparently Coleen Rooney and Alex Curran were spotted doing it first, and now everyone is at it in the shopping centres. There are a lot of WAG
wannabes in Liverpool. I guess they are a lot more like celebrities up there than they are down in Essex. Down here, if you go out with a footballer, you tend to keep it a bit on the down-low. I
guess it’s because we are so close to London, and you see so many A-list stars there that it is not a big deal to see a footballer, whereas in Liverpool the footballers and WAGs are the
biggest celebs.

You see it on that show on E4,
Desperate Scousewives.
No one outside Liverpool had heard of one of the main girls, Amanda Harrington, and yet it seems she is famous in Liverpool.
I’m asked about that show a lot, and while I don’t want to slag it off – it had some good bits to it – at the end of the day, we did it first, and they were just copying us.
The original will always be the best. The fact that locals were not fans of it doesn’t reflect well either, and I’m not really surprised the series hasn’t been recommissioned.
With us, it’s different, and you will find most people in Essex are fans and appreciate the way we are representing the area.

There is no question about how well
TOWIE
has done – we never dreamed when we started out that we would end up with an award-winning show that gets 1.8 million
viewers, and looks set to stretch to many more series.

Not just that, but it has become an actual brand in its own right – walking round the shops, I see
TOWIE
stuff everywhere: our Christmas cards in the newsagent, our DVDs in the
video shop, our bronzer on the make-up counters . . . And that’s when I can actually get around the shops – I am normally too busy being stopped by people who want to talk!
TOWIE
has really nice fans, who are always so positive to me. I love chatting with people, whether they watch the show themselves or just want to get pictures for their daughters or
whoever. I never expected it to be this successful – but I am so happy it is! It has been a totally incredible thing to have been part of, and I do still pinch myself sometimes to make sure
it’s real.

As for our BAFTA win . . . wow! We got the YouTube Audience Award at the ceremony in May 2011, and it was just amazing because we were up against these great shows, like
Downton Abbey
and
My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
.

Amy and I were supposed to be in Marbella, but we changed our flight so we could go to the awards along with the rest of the main cast and the big bosses from Lime Pictures and ITV. We were sat
at two tables, and there was such a good vibe. The red carpet was swarming with these amazing celebs – it was overwhelming. By the time it came to our nomination list being read out, we were
all so nervous and were holding hands. All the cameras seemed to be on the
My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
crew, which was a bad sign, but I said I had a feeling it was us.

The Inbetweeners were doing the announcement on stage, and they said the result really quickly, so it took us a few seconds to realise it was us. Then we went mad, and were just jumping up and
down and screaming. I was like ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe it!’

Amy and I were flying to Marbella at 3 a.m. the next morning, so we couldn’t stay out and party as much as we wanted to, but we made up for it by going crazy when we got to Marbs!

I sometimes wonder what makes the show so popular, and I think it is because it is so easy to relate to. Most people can relate to at least one of us, and everyone has gone through a lot of the
things we go through on the show: relationship and friendship troubles, family issues, gossiping and arguing . . . It’s what life is made of. But as well as that, it is light-hearted and
funny, and there is a spark that you get in people from Essex that can’t be copied. I’m not being funny, but have the copycat shows worked as well? No. Because they don’t have
that spark that we do. I am really proud to be part of
TOWIE
. The only downside to the show doing so well is that as it has got bigger, so have the egos on it. The vibe used to be one of a
group of friends having a laugh, who would hang out together whether the filming was happening or not. Now, at times, people are more engrossed in doing interviews and emailing their agents, or are
glaring at each other angrily because of something that was said on camera the week before. It was inevitable that would happen though, I suppose. One of the biggest egos is Arg. People are
surprised by that, but Arg is not as sweet and innocent as he seems – he definitely plays up to his victim role! He is also the worst time-keeper – he’s really bad at turning up
on time for filming, which gives everyone else the hump. Both Arg and Lauren Goodger were the worst offenders for this in series three, especially when we filmed the Christmas special, and the
bosses were like, ‘We’re not putting up with this anymore. Anyone who can’t be on time from now on is off the show.’ Sounds strict, but I reckon it’s fair enough
– it’s really selfish!

The other big ego was, of course, Mark, but you probably guessed that! And somehow he got away with it. He has a very over-powering personality, and he always ends up getting what he wants.
Everyone expected me to be really sad to see Mark leave at the end of series three, but I do think it was the right thing for him to do. We discussed it before he made the decision, and he knew it
was a big move, but I think it was the right time for him, and he has a great career ahead of him. It’s not like I can’t see him either, is it? It just means the cameras won’t be
there, so you lot won’t get to see what happens! I think Mark did great in the jungle. He showed people the soft, friendly, loving side of him, which a lot of people don’t know, and he
did so well to come second. I’m not so sure about his presenting skills on
Take Me Out: The Gossip
, as he seems a bit stiff – he needs to relax more. But I reckon that will
come with more experience. He did really well to get it anyhow, so I don’t want to knock him for it.

Mark always knew exactly how he wanted to appear on
TOWIE
, and made that happen. I’m not saying that he was always acting exactly, but more that he knew how he wanted to come
across and put himself in that mindset before filming started. You can decide for yourself if that means a few acting skills were involved! He didn’t care in the beginning how much of a
womaniser or lads’ lad he came across as – that’s how he is, and he was happy for people to know it. But by series three he was doing all the crying and the emotion thing. Billie
and I always say after watching one of those scenes with the boys together, ‘And the Oscar for best acting goes to . . . Mark and Arg!’ Although maybe we’re being a bit
unfair!