It’s been a decade since she first appeared on our screens for MTV’s controversial reality series, Geordie Shore, but for Vicky Pattison, her overnight fame fast became a double-edged sword.
The Newcastle-born reality star, 33, made her name by guzzling booze and hooking up with lads, but in an episode of How Are You?
The Wellbeing Podcast, with blogger Connie Simmonds, she reveals “so much alcohol and so much encouraged conflict” on the show caused her to spend years vying for “attention over respect”.
And Vicky admits she’s relieved to have left her turbulent 20s behind her, crediting boyfriend of two-and-a-half years, Ercan Ramadan, 36,for helping her to finally feel comfortable in her own skin.
“Over the past few years I’ve noticed an immense change in the person I am. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my boyfriend, he’s a really nice man and he brings out the best qualities in me,” Vicky revealed on the podcast.
“The period of growth you go through in your 20s is absolutely phenomenal and I do partially credit that and to making mistakes and learning from them. There are moments that I don’t love the person that I was on there [Geordie Shore] and there are things I’d rather not remember, but ultimately, look at who I am and look where I am now. I love who I am now.”
During her 20s, her tumultuous love life – including two broken engagements – and her two convictions for assault after a nightclub attack in 2014 saw her make headlines for all the wrong reasons.
It wasn’t until she appeared on ITV’s I’m A Celeb! in 2015 and later became queen of the jungle that viewers saw a softer, funnier, and more resilient Vicky, fast making her a household name.
Today, Vicky is a serious businesswoman – she happily reveals she “earns a lot of money” from social media – and has made a career for herself as a TV presenter, featuring on Loose Women and This Morning. And as the star is more loved-up than ever in her relationship, she admits it’s made her question and revisit the prospect of motherhood.
In 2017, whilst engaged to her ex, businessman John Noble,she revealed the pair didn’t want children, saying, “I’ve always been vocal about how I’ve never really seen them in my future and John’s the same.”
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But after meeting Ercan just three months after her devastating break-up from John – who was pictured cosying up to another woman while on a lads’ trip to Dubai in 2018 – Vicky visited a fertility clinic to find out her chances of conceiving naturally.
She later posted an Instagram pic of herself in tears as she admitted to feeling “ashamed” and fearful that her excessive partying lifestyle may have affected her chances of becoming a mum as she waited for the results.
Doctors discovered a healthy amount of egg follicles, but warned her that she would have to make healthier choices going forward, including cutting down on booze and eating well.
She also said she was planning to freeze her eggs in 2019, explaining she had done a U-turn in her desire to be a mum, saying, “I didn’t want kids and I was adamant I didn’t, but I feel like what would my future be without them?”
Now in the podcast, she says that, while she is “not a naturally maternal person” and won’t be having children soon, she still hopes to start a family with Ercan one day.
She said, “I’m so scared of being 40 or whenever and regretting not having kids. All I know is that I’m not ready now and I hope I will feel ready in the future. But if I don’t, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
However, the health warning did spark the start of a healthier lifestyle for Vicky, who admits that after years of struggling with body-confidence and yo-yoing between a size 6 and a size 16, she’s been able to maintain a happy and healthy size 10.
Last June, Vicky revealed to Closer how she had once become “obsessed” with weighing out her food portions and limiting her calories. But since meeting Ercan, not only has she found a balance by “eating healthy 80 per cent of the time”, she’s also learned to love her body.
She said, “I’m happy with my size 10 curves and I finally feel in charge of my own life. Since I’ve got with Ercan, I’ve felt more comfortable and confident in my own skin than I ever have before.”
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The star, who released her own fitness DVD, 7 Day Slim, in 2013, says she now exercises for her mental wellbeing, and she won’t punish herself if she has an off day. Last month, Vicky refreshingly admitted to eating up to eight packs of biscuits during one sitting while on her period.
The last year has also taught Vicky to “be kinder” to herself, and she said she praises herself for even the small achievements during lockdown. “I find that some days are better than others, some weeks are better than others and I just take every day as it comes,” she admitted.
“I feel that every day that you get out of bed, every day you brush your hair, every day you get out of your pyjamas – these are real wins and we need to celebrate them.”
Vicky appeared on How Are You? The Wellbeing Podcast, with Connie Simmonds.
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