THE MISSING LARA CHAT - BIG BROTHER FLASHBACK

It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week. They might welcome back to TV Reload. My name's Benjamin Norris, and on this podcast, I go behind the scenes with the biggest players in television. Each episode you will get a front row seat with content makers like executive producers, writers, editors, and casting agents,

I'm so thankful to Big Brother because it actually saved my life this year.

It's my first birthday. Now I can see why they thought there was a divide, and I've invited housemates both new and legendary. I can't talk about certain things like that. It was on telling will experience be enough to take on the next generation of housemates?

I don't know why anyone would be upset with Lalah's a coolist chick ever and.

The new Contenders out with Big Brother Royalty. But I don't have any regrets. I'm really proud of myself. Yes, he's big Brother.

Hi, Lara, how are you?

I'm great? How are you? Well?

I'm so excited that we get to talk about big Brother. You know, your time later came to an end last night for Australia. But how do you think you went?

I'm really happy with everything I saw, Like, you know, it's weird kind of watching yourself, isn't it. And I was like heaps worried about what I was going to do because I think it's because of my ADHD and I'm so OCD and my mind runs a million miles an hour, and I did want embarrassed with kids, so I begging me not to go on, Mum, don't mum, don't do it because you just say the first thing that comes in your head, you.

Know, don't do this. And I went all far out.

But look, I had the best time and they're all proud of me, so it's cool.

Well, you were quite the fierce competitor in the challenges. Do you think that that puts too much of a target on your back.

I probably did hate. I don't know. I didn't really think of it, to be honest.

I just want to go in and like, do the best for me, Bloody hell, I can do the best I can on the challenges, So I just did.

I just gave it like everything I had.

I think he nailed the brief with that. Although your strategy to talk to the whole house last night sort of fell a little bit flat. Do you think that they just didn't buy your story?

No, at the time, it thought it was a good idea.

Before everyone goes, Can I just chat with his all this one group. Yeah, come in relax for a sec. I just want to say something to you. I think may be good if we just do it in one go.

Oh, I like this in an organization.

Okay, this is my pledge to you. I'm a really straight up person, and I wear my heart.

I must leave.

I'm not in you to win the game, but I'm in you to stay as long as I can because I want to.

Yeah, you haven't seen all of me, ed.

And yeah, I have been holding back on a few little things because I only want to embarrassing my kids.

But to hell with it.

Yes, I don't think I read people too well. Maybe that's because I'm on the spectrum somewhat, But look.

I thought I did.

I thought, you know what, I'm not going to run around and go, oh, can you be my friends and I'll be yours? And can you not vote for me? And I'll give you my chocolate or whatever they all do. I just thought, you know what, sit you all down. I've given it my best shot. They all like were saying that I didn't wasn't fooling myself because I didn't talk about stuff.

But I can't talk about certain things like that.

It was on telling you know, they were talking about things that you probably talk about in my hair dressings saloon or when I was my girlfriends. I wouldn't want to talk about it. My son's here and then their mates here hear it or something, do.

You know what I mean?

So I couldn't sort of get into conversations with them. Maybe that's why they were going, you know, going bushit.

What did your children think of you on the show.

I thought my oldest son, Grady was going to like hate me to death, but he said, Mom, I'm really proud of you.

Good on you.

And why did they say that, and why did they do that? And I said, I don't know. I tried to be everybody's friend, you know, but sometimes it's hard, you know.

I never really had many friends at school.

People didn't really I didn't have any girlfriends at school, and it's taken me a long time to And I was always on medication, you know, like for ADHD. But I got off of when I was forty five, and so since then, I've had to sort of learned to kind of read people and kind of get that because I am full on and I do do that.

So I probably aggravated them, but I can't change.

I like who I am now, and I don't want to take medication to squash that because I just feel like sleeping all the time when i'm on it, you know, Yeah.

Yeah, for sure. I mean, what do you think that the producers saw on you? You know, why do you think that the producers cast you in this format of Big Brother?

I don't know, hey, because I didn't even watch the show. Maybe that's why.

I think that's why a.

Lot of the older ones didn't like me, because I didn't even know who they were. I tried, I was going to attend but I thought, but I don't even know, like I can't even make up shit because I haven't even watched them, so I didn't know what to do. Maybe they casting me because I liked my thing that I sent in. You know when you talk it on the.

Thing and you send it a little video. Yeah, maybe I like that.

So you'd never watch Big Brother before, so you'd never seen the old Big Brother.

I watched like a couple of them. When Mary Jane wiggled a bum, I think a named you know, she wiggled a bum, did the bum dance. I watched that, and I watched the challenges and I used to think, I want to go on it. I want to go on a reality show because I've always I studied theater and did acting when I was younger, but I did. I was going in my third year in a theater school.

You know, the ogs as we're calling them, the I don't know whether it's the old girls or the old gangsters or whatever it is.

I don't know what it was.

You know, the OG's going against the newbies was a really clear divide right from the start. Can you imagine that going any other way? It kind of felt like it was predetermined or something.

Yeah, Well, now that I watched it on the Telly like before that, because I just got a TV. I didn't even have TV, so I just got a TV. I've been watching it and I thought, now I can see why they thought there was a divide. Like when we first went in there, like me and Joel and the young boys, I kind of took a liking to them because they were like my sons, you know. And I tried really hard with Gabby and stuff, but she I don't.

Think she liked me very much.

But anyway, so they were just like my sons, and I felt at home they're doing stuff for them, and that wasn't really they were saying, this was the j Crew and all this sort of stuff. I never really did anybody else say that. But I never really studying any of the little chitter chatters about let's vote this person, let's do that. I was too busy keeping my own way, doing in the laundry, having a bit of a break from all the kids because they were driving insane.

It was I've been in the house with my kids and all their friends.

Yeah, so I think they did their own Divide two now that I watched it. They were kind of sticking together the ogs, you know what I mean.

Dave loved me.

I had a bit of a moment where shaking Dave and we sort of said, you know, do you want to we'll go together to the top ten top ten together? And I'd sort of shaken hands with eight others and know seven others, so I still yeah, I still had three left to sort of say, oh yeah, I'll give you my word to the top ten and I won't vote you out to the top ten. And I was trying to keep to that, and I think that's why Dave stuck with me.

He was of his word.

I'm really happy when I watched it, and he is a man of his word, and I really respect him for that, you know, Gabby wasn't.

Neither was Sam and Drew.

They like lie to my face on my yeah, I said, because I went up to talk to him and he said.

Don't worry, Laura, I've got you back. I'm so Sam and I said, oh really okay, I said word of honor.

He said, yeah, a word of He just shook my hand, and I think he must kids today just say that like it's do you want a bag of chips or do you want a lolly? I don't think it really meant anything to him. So he shook my hand and then a little thumb head voted me out him bearing Gabby. So Lulu's a little dull and I'm glad she stayed in there.

Dave really tried to navigate his own way through the competition. Do you think Dave is smart to play big brother this way? Or do you think he should be towing the line with these ogs.

I think you should just do what he wants to do in his heart. That's what I did. It's not good to anyone tell him you what to do. Like I did vote for the book.

One time. The boy said do this, do that, and I said, oh really, I don't reckon.

I didn't really want to do that, And they said, oh, come on, Lara, and I said, all right, all right, I'll do that. So I just did it because you know, like you would do it for your kids and go all right, So I did. But I reckon it's good just to do your own thing, because I mainly did. I just did my own thing, and I wasn't really

Don't worry, I could watch you do that raw, you know, just to motivate myself to get out of bed every day.

What the hell? I didn't even know.

Do you know what that's called? Most muscular poses? And girls don't even do that. But I used to just joke all the time with my kids, and I'd be every time i'd win, like because I had a dojo set up at home, and we used to like wrestle me and my full sons and like have punch ons and stuff because boys get out of hands. So I used to set up a jojo and pad them all laugh.

And say fight it out. In there, guys.

But I'd get into and so every time i'd win against my sons, I'd go, yeah, like that.

And so that was a bit of a laugh, to be honest.

It's the hero's pose, like you know, that's what you do when you know when you you.

Should read some of the comments. Oh myself, I am laughing in my tummy. I was going to say vagina because I say that all the time, but I didn't. I tried so hard say jina and bum and old boobs and stuff, but I did. That's okay. Then they made a funny picture of me and it's got vagina something that vagina. I couldn't read the big words, but I think it said vagina something I knew Vagina.

I posted on my Instagram too. I think they're cool. That's funny.

Well, you know, Reggie really seemed to turn on you last night. I mean I didn't see that coming.

Anything that was coming out of Lara's mouth was just crap. I'm not I'm not buying it at all. The newbies are gonna vote Lulu out, and as ags want to vote Lara out.

Was Reggie really different to how you imagined she was going to be? In the show he was different.

That made my heart really sad, actually, like in my heart I felt sad and in my face too, like I was sad when I heard her say that because I actually thought I liked her when I watched on television. She's very different in real life than what you see on Telly, a lot different. I think she's very smart, and she's playing the game like she's actually really playing the game more so than a lot of other people

Is kind of different. But that's okay. Look, if she wins, she wins good honor. Because I felt.

Sad for her, really sad when she told me about her son and stuff, and it made me cry.

And I went into big brother and said, I want to help her get the money. I don't even want it, and if I get I'm going to help her.

I just was going to keep some if I wanted, so I could send my mom to go to Greece and my brother because I used to have money when I was married because my.

Ex husband was rich, and then I don't have it anymore.

So I thought, I want to give my mom a go of going first class because I.

Got to do that once. So I went first class on a plane. And you think you're like a movie stuff something would you like wine? Yes? Would you like anything else? Giving me everything else? I just loved. That was all I was going to do.

And I probably would have helped Dave two and probably given some to to I would have had have given like five grand to all my friends and stuff. I would have done heaps, have had lots of fun given it and helping people and stuff that would have been the fun part. And bought myself some really expensive icon.

I would have done that, which you always need. Did you try and set up an alliance at any stage with people like Reggie uh and? And how did that? You know? With the ogs? And how do they take that? Were they?

I was pretty good friends with Leila, but I never talked. I never talked the strategies. I never talked strategies. I just you should just talk about.

Stuff in life. That's why I just canceled my phone. I didn't talk, I didn't talk about to turn it off.

I've got an iPhone? What do you reckon iPhone? I've got Tika taker, instagrammer and Facebook.

My bloody do. I went and bought it.

I've never bought stuff like that because I don't really know how to use the stupid things.

But yeah, I've got it now.

And it's pretty cool, huh. I know, I look at my phone case, you can't see it's pretty cool.

It's and that's a nude lady side note. So Drew seemed, you know, quite unpredictable at times. Do you think that he should be playing this whole game and this whole relationship with Sam differently? Do you think he should be trying to divide his time up and spend a little bit more time with his friends like Tim and Tully.

I didn't even know he wasn't even doing that until I watched on Telly. To be honest, I didn't even know. I didn't even take much notice. I just saw him hanging out with her. I don't know if he's quite genuine. I think she was.

Genuinely liking him.

I didn't get the feel that he was like genuinely liking her, because he would like you know, when I've got three sons, I know boys, and you know when they sort of like behind the back and stuff, you know, like that sort of thing, and I thought, oh, I don't think that was very nice.

So I don't know, I.

Don't think he was as genuine as her, And I think that's their whole little game played. Tim's a funny little boy, isn't He makes me laugh because he's so mischievous.

He's like a naughty like he's fantastic.

I mean, he's you know, we're getting a lot of Tim on this series, which is probably because he is the most entertaining out of everyone in there. Do you think it's time we see more people like Estelle and some of the others that we're probably not seeing as much.

Stelle doesn't really do much.

She cries a lot and gets upset and sort of always looks like she's sad and you try to talk to her, but she's she's sort of like, do you know, like, do you know, like if you had the worst to stay and you just you feel bad and it's like one of them days that everything just went wrong.

She kind of looks like that all day.

So when you try to have a conversation with it's a little bit hard, do you know what I mean? Like you try to talk to her. She's a little bit hard to talk to, and I think she's just sad about stuff because I know she was really upset with Layla. But Laila's beautiful. I don't know why anyone would be upset with Laylah's the coolest chick ever. She's so down to earth and real and there's no bullshit about her. She doesn't like spin your shit just to

Yeah, you know.

I think with Estelle she has lost her mum and there has been a lot of a lot of things going on in her life from what I've been told.

So I didn't even know that. To be honest, I didn't even know.

I talked to him a bit, but they weren't really interested. They were very set in their ways. Even Reggie, like I tried, I wanted to chat to her, and like she told me all about her son and all the bad stuff in her life and how she lost all the money and all that stuff.

And I felt real.

Sad for her because she's got a little sun with a disorder and yeah, sistyfibressis and she didn't even have a back thing, and I was going to sell it.

I've got some Katie and bikes. I was going to sell a couple of bikes.

I would have brought her it, bought it the bloody thing for her, because that's just terrible.

And then I thought she's going to go blind and not even be able to see her son. Like I couldn't think of anything worse than not to be able to see my baby, especially if I was dying. So I felt really sad for her, you know, in that way.

I think the best thing to ask you at this point is, you know, what was the experience like for you? Did you enjoy it?

Bloody awesome? I'll tell you why.

I have got really bad OCD and anxiety, Like he's bad, So I hide it a lot because people like think, oh she's so fully and she's so bubbly, she shouldn't be like that. But like germs and stuff really freaked me out so bad, and like public toilets and just being around people if say cough on me or something like, I.

Just can't handle it. So that for me, my kids thought I was going to have.

Like a big spastic and I was gonna get all emotional and be crying because I was so anxious. But I just pulled it together and I said, bear down, girl, you've had four babies.

Come on your gutsy little thing. Look what you did. You've been a single mum.

You can do this germ thing and you don't want it to keep drowning you like it drowns me. And so I made myself sit on the toilet, even without toilet paper down.

I did feel disgusting getting the showers.

I did feel disgusting sitting on the louis after treasuring.

I got to tell you I.

Got home and scrubbed yourself. But the good thing is so I was really believed. When I left the house, I thought, bloody hell, I'm having a clean shower and the hotel, which I hate hotel showers.

Oh, it was like abut paradise for me when I got home. I used to public toilet at the shops the other.

Day and I didn't even wash my jacket, like I washed my clothes and washed my hair when I come home. But I thought, I won't wash my jacket. But I'm trying not. I'm gonna try to wear it again. It's really helped me heaps with my OCD and my anxiety. And I think it could be a really good whatever the word is, you know, like a good method for people that have HD, have ADHD or someone is just one second, I'm just on the thing, okaykind of think it's my neighbor.

You just have to wait, young Matt. He's come to the lawns. You know.

Well, it sounds to me like this Big Brother experience has been quite beneficial for you.

Bloody eight.

And you know what else happened? So ready, my ocd's like heaps better. Oh my godly, I can't even tell you. Even my kids said, Mom, feel so much better. I said, I'm bloody happy. I feel good, like I don't have to wash my hands so much more because they're really dry.

Like people go, you.

Look young, and then this man says, you look young, lady. I still think you said, but your hands very look. And you know what else happened? Join another thing. Right before you go on Big Brother, they send you to go and have like tests like fear everything, all your stuff right.

And so I went had all these tests, and while.

I was there, I said, actually I might just have perhaps mere too, And so she did it and they found a tumor on my cervix. Oh yeah, and I had cancer cells in it and I had to go into hospital the next day. Wasn't even in a private fund. Had to pay like twelve grand for this bloody thing. But anyway, yeah, but they got it. And if it wasn't for that, if I hadn't gone on the show, I bloody wouldn't have got perhaps me. And I'm so thankful to Big Brother because it actually saved my life.

Oh. I think it's a good message for younger people that are listening to this day to go out there and pity.

That's the big word I learned.

But it's imperative that young girls seriously and truly now talking all serious, it's very imperative that young girls go and do that because I have to go for three months now and have a check up, And so I told my daughter, go and have one, and just go every six months, go and have your breast checked, you know.

So I'm really keen on that now. And that's what a wonderful thing.

If anything, I feel like the biggest win ever because not only did they find that my OCD and my anxieties and I'm really going to try the hardest to keep them into control. And I just feel really better about myself, you know what I mean. And to see myself doing that stuff, holy shit, I couldn't even believe it myself.

I just, Lara, your story is quite remarkable, and I'm really excited for you that you've had this whole experience and it was a joy to watch you on the show and then to be able to have this conversation. But I am asking everyone who joins the podcast the series of questions. It's a bit of a celebration of Big Brother because Greta Colleen back in the day used to ask these top questions too, the eliminated housemates. So

My grandson and my children? My grandson, I missed him. Oh, in my bones, I missed him.

Yeah, who was your favorite person in the house?

To Rass?

I love to Rask because he's just such a beautiful little soul and you're going to see more. I hope he's a really good boy. His mom did a good job.

Who was your least favorite person?

Oh? It was, well, not at their least.

I think were just a little bit like school girl bitchy sort of thing. It was sort of Tully and Gabby a little bit. I don't know, just they were like girls at school, you know, and they say stuff and just you know that sort of women.

You know.

No, I just could not handle it.

I don't know she was ping because I didn't know who she was because she goes I'm Tully.

I said, oh, who are you?

I'm Tully from I just said from where, because I don't have a Telly. But I might have insulted her little ego a little bit. But yeah, I think that kinder off a bit. But she was bitchy. I think nasty. I'll just say because I did spoke to Gabby after I bumped at the shops, and she was different out of the house, and maybe she's not really like that.

But then she did.

Say, no, I was the same, but she was nicer when I met her in the shops than what she was in the house.

Who had the most annoying habit.

Oh Trevor.

If he slept behind me and farted really stinky farts.

I don't know what's in his belly and snored and burped.

Who was the funniest person in the house?

Taras made me laugh? I nearly peed my pants. He made me laugh that much. I love that little boy.

Who was the laziest person in the house.

Johnson Johnson.

He would leave skinny unders everywhere, the little grub, but he loved me picking them up.

He'd say, thank you, Lara for picking everything up. You're the best. Thanks for doing that, Thanks for doing that. And then he would and said all that funny stuff. But it was funny. I laughed at that. I think he just wanted to a potential.

What's your greatest regret for what in life? No? No, no, we'd be here all day if we were talking about our greatest regrets.

He brother, I don't have any regrets. I don't have any regrets at all. I had heaps of fun. I probably wouldn't have done anything different. Now that I watch the show, I probably would have maybe gone out and said, how come we don't like, can we read you?

Or something? Maybe, But I don't have any regrets.

I'm really proud of myself and I had the best time ever and I played it true to my heart.

So yeah, I'm glad I loved it.

Who will be out? Who did you think?

Like?

Not what you know now, because you obviously know a little bit more, but who did you think would be out next? Who would follow you out of the house?

If Joel doesn't win every challenge, he'll be out. They'll vote him out because they're just intimidated by him.

They were intimidated by me. I bloody love that. I've never intimidated anybody in my life.

That is just so good that they thought I was busy. Yes, but I and take it back to me. But yes, probably Joel, I want him out for sure.

Who do you think will win Big Brother twenty twenty two?

Look, I don't know. It depends on how Big Brother shows.

Them on television, because I think I know who'll probably win, But it depends how Big Brother shows. If they show all the things they do, maybe people might see a different side of people.

Do you know what I mean? But look, I hope the right person wins it. And you know, they all are deserving. They've all got their little plights why they need the money, you know.

What I mean? And good on them, and I hope, I hope Dave, Reggie, Joel, I hope they all have a chance of winning it.

Good on them.

It's just a fun thing to be a part of. And if you get two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, you know you can do heaps of fun things to be your friends and stuff.

You know.

Well, something I ask everybody who joins the podcast is what is something from behind the scenes that we didn't see that we won't see that fans might appreciate from your experience on Big Brother.

Behind the scenes, what that we didn't see on the Telly? Yeah, me, me do want He's more funny stuff. Like I guess, I didn't see a lot of myself. Yeah, you'd have seen more of me, like I would.

Have liked to have. I wanted to watch myself more.

I'll just keep I kept trying to see myself and then when I rewatched it, I paused and it was just fun.

Me something we didn't see enough of.

Darling.

Well, Laura, it's so fun chatting with you today. You are a ball of energy.

Thank you, a little spunk. Thank you so much