Interview with Charlotte Crosby

2 March 2021

How are you feeling to be joining The Circle?

I'm so excited. I am such a huge fan of The Circle. I just love TV,  I'm one of those people who has seen every single reality show. Everyone's like, "Are you watching Selling Sunset? Are you watching this?" I'm like, "Yeah, I've watched them all." I am obsessed with TV. You know when you meet people and they're like, "I just don't watch TV." I'm like, "Why?" How could you not watch TV? It's my favourite thing to do.

 

What do you love about The Circle?

When I watched the very first series, I just thought it was an amazing concept. And the fact you could be anyone. It's like a show called Catfish, but you're watching that unfold and you know the actual character. I just always thought I would love to do that show if they ever did the celebrity version.

 

Is there anything that you're particularly worried about?

Do you know what? I think, because I'm going into it as someone else, I think I am a little bit worried that I might slip up. I'm worried about what if I can't play the game as good as I think I can. I just don't want to be kicked out. Blocked. I don't want to be blocked.

 

Why did you decide to play as Peter Andre?

I've met Peter Andre a couple of times. I mean, we're not friends, but who doesn't like Peter Andre? He won Dad of the Year about 75 years in a row. How can you not like Dad of the Year? I'm here and I need to pick someone who everyone likes. No one, when they see Peter Andre is in there, is going to be like, "Oh. Peter Andre." Everyone's going to be like, "Oh my God, Peter Andre!" He's loved by so many people. He's such a nice guy. So I'm onto a winner already.

 

Are you worried some of his friends might be on the show?

I'll actually freak out. What am I going to do? This is my main worry. What if someone's like, "Oh Pete, remember when we were at such and such?" What am I going to say? Like what can I say? "I can't remember. I must have too much to drink that night." But I don't think he's a big drinker. I need to think of a plan.

 

Do you have a game plan?

I think I'm just going to try and be friends with everyone. Pete is very positive, like if someone was feeling down, he'd be the one to cheer you up. He's good with his words, he's a bit of a shoulder to cry on. I think he's a big morale booster, isn't he? So I think that's what I want to try and be. I don't think I can cause mischief as Peter Andre, because people are going to suspect something's off. He’s not a mischief maker.

 

How do you feel about knowingly misleading people?

I'm fine with that. I feel like everyone needs to be mislead once in their life. You've got to keep them on their toes! I've never played the game before, this is why it's exciting. I hope it's not too stressful though, I'm worried. I just don't want to get found out.

 

Are you quite a competitive person?

Really bad. I'm really competitive. Like I don't know what I'll do if I get blocked!

 

How are you feeling about living on your own?

I'm kind of okay with it, to be honest. It's going to get boring, but I can be quite good company for myself. I am a bit worried that I might get a bit bored, but no, I think I'll be fine. I'm used to being in places with cameras all around, I'm just used to being with a couple more people. So I think I'll be fine.

 

Do you think you might forget about the cameras and let your guard down?

I think I've done that in every show I've ever been on. Like the whole of the Geordie Shore house was rigged up with cameras. I mean, I forgot about a lot of things then, let's remember that. So I don't think that's going to be a problem somehow. To be honest, even if there were big cameras around us, I just don't feel like they’re there, because it's been so long.

 

Do you think that we might see a different side to you that we haven't seen before?

I think everyone has seen every side possible. There's no more sides to us! I think people who grew up watching me on Geordie Shore have seen the wild side of us, they saw the caring side of us. They also saw the really vulnerable side of us, that cried and got really hurt. They saw the good friend, the saw the loyal person, they saw the feisty side of us. I don't think there's any more sides to show! Maybe they might see a bit more of an intelligent side because I've grown up a little bit. But other than that, everything's still the same.

 

How are you going to entertain yourself in there?

I don't know, because when I've watched before, they've had games and stuff that they've been playing. I'm sure they've had reading books, they've had games. Just depends if I'm allowed to take anything in. I'll go to the gym and also I think I'll make up a lot of songs. That’s very Peter Andre, as well. I'm a really good songwriter. Can you imagine if I come out with an album?!

 

What do you think about social media?

I was obsessed with social media before I even went on telly. Like when we had our first big press event for Geordie Shore at MTV in London, they set up our Instagram accounts. I was like, "I've already got one." Nobody had an Instagram account or had a Twitter account. I'm like, "I've got them all. Can I just change handles?" I am so obsessed with everything current, I like to get in there and be involved because if you don't jump on the bandwagon, you get left behind. So I love it all. I love technology. I love how the world's changing so rapidly. And like years to come, jobs and everything are going to be so different because of social media. Do you know what I mean? I think it's fascinating. I think there's pros and cons in social media, like there's pros and cons in life. Like you get bullied on social media, just like you got bullied in the school playground. But with social media you can block them, which is a lot easier than when you have to go into school every day and get called Goofy. Do you know what I mean? There's so many better ways to deal with things. So I think it is what you make of it yourself, and I think it's brilliant.

 

Do you do anything to protect yourself online?

This is why social media's so great. You can go on the settings and you can actually type in words that you don't want to ever show on your Instagram. So there was a time where people were going on about my lips all the time. Too big, too big. Blah, blah, blah. So I just type in words I don't want to be used, like lips, and then no one ever could comment about my lips ever again. The power. There's so many controls that you can use. I think people need to educate themselves more on the controls, and then maybe the trolling wouldn't bother them because they just wouldn't get it.

 

You're going to be catfishing the other contestants in The Circle, have you ever been catfished in real life?

I have never been catfished, it's so annoying. We always used to talk about this in Geordie Shore. Because they wanted to do a Celebrity Catfish and I was like, "I've never been catfished so I wouldn't be able to go on." But no, never been catfished.

 

Who is the most famous person you've had a chat with on social media?

I think the only one I can really say is when we first started Geordie Shore, the Jersey Shore lot started following us. I think one time I might've spoke to Pauly D. But back in the day he was really famous. All of them lot were really, really famous. So that's probably the most famous person, and even that's not that famous really, is it?

 

Do you follow any famous people on social?

Yeah. I follow Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox from Friends. They are the most famous. Well no, I follow the Kardashians. They've got the most followers. But I think the Friends actors are the most famous on there.

 

Have you had any embarrassing moments on social media?

I must have. There's got to be a time where I've had a nip slip. Do you know when I was younger, I used to think it was cool to post half naked with an emoji over the vagina. But I've realised that wasn't really cool and that was quite pornographic, so then I stopped doing that!

 

Do you think that what you show fans on your social media is the same as who you are off it?

Yeah it is. All of my fans who follow us have seen every aspect of my life, not just on Geordie Shore but on The Charlotte Show as well. But I've got no reason to take a photo during the day when I'm in my dressing gown and post it. Why would I want to? But then they know that when I'm on a night out and I'm all dressed up, I'm getting photos with my friends, so yeah, you are going to see that. Do you know what I mean? It's not that I only want to show the best side of my life. It's that when I'm doing nothing, there's nothing really interesting to photograph. Unless I want to post stuff and really put the message out there that this is what I look like. I just don't feel the need to because I don't think people are that naive to think that I always look great all of the time. They've watched us on telly for 10 years. I think they know what’s real.

 

The show is supporting Stand Up To Cancer, what does that charity mean to you?

Everyone's been affected by cancer at some point, sadly. It's just such an awful disease that seems to be everywhere. It's so common. My granddad died two years ago through prostate cancer. That's the only person in my family who's been affected by it, and obviously that was a really horrible time. I have done some work for cancer charities in the past. So yeah, I thought I definitely want to jump onboard with this.

 

Are you good at keeping on top of your own health checks?

Definitely. Yeah. I'm always checking. I'm always feeling myself up and checking I must have been back and forth to the doctors to get mammograms about three times on my boobs when I felt little lumps. But thankfully, it’s always been nothing. I think you've just got to be very, very wary. If I found a lump again, even though I know I've been three times and it's been nothing, I'd still go again. I wouldn't think, "Oh well, the other three times it was nothing." I would still go again. A quick trip down to the doctors is nothing to put your mind at rest.

 

Was it scary when you found the lumps?

Yeah. You just have this constant worry. Sometimes you'll book your appointment and you think, "I'll not think about it till the appointment." And then you'll kind of forget about it and then one night you'll just be eating dinner and it'll creep up on you and you're like, “Oh, god" And you're just filled with that dread again and you just can't wait until the appointment comes. It just shows you can't leave it, can you? It's just not worth it. You’ve got to check yourself, you’ve got to be proactive.