Charlotte Crosby is best known for her role on Geordie Shore; however, now she can add new mum, multi-business owner and star of her own reality series, Charlotte in Sunderland to her remit.
Premiering on Binge on August 17, the new series will showcase the absolute highs and lows of Crosby’s life including the death of her beloved Nan, the birth of her daughter Alba and her mum Letitia’s breast cancer diagnosis.
“This is going to be the most personal show that I’ve ever filmed,” Crosby said during an interview on the Mediaweek and Chattr Podcast, The Entertainment Hotline. “It was filmed for a year and it covered the highest point of my life, but also the lowest, which I never, ever would have thought would happen when filming a TV show.”
“There’s going to be no stones unturned,” she said. “At the end of filming, I sat back and I kind of thought, ‘Wow, I did not expect all of that to happen.’ I literally did not even realise what was around the corner.”
The 33-year-old also said that even though we’d seen a more outrageous side of her previously, she noted “it was a different stage in my life”, as she is now settled down with her boyfriend Jake and 10-month-old daughter.
Charlotte Crosby, Charlotte in Sunderland, Binge
Why Charlotte Crosby’s mum chose to share her breast cancer journey
During filming, Crosby’s mum Letitia (who also features in the series) revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, a revelation which took place while the cameras weren’t rolling. Instead of shying away from sharing her journey, Letitia thought it was important to shine a light on the importance of mammograms and early detection.
“Mum really, really wanted to cover it,” she admitted. “She was so grateful that she went to get a mammogram, which is what all women can get. She was told by the nurses that so many women miss their scans, so she wanted to get the message out there about how important it is to go for your mammogram. Because if she had missed it, then who knows what position she would have been in.”
Charlotte Crosby and Letitia. Binge
As for where Letitia is in her journey now, the reality star is hoping her mum will be able to “ring the bell” (The bell she is referring to is the one rung in hospitals in the UK once cancer patients are in remission).
“She has finished most of her treatment and we’re awaiting her final results. We’re aware awaiting the results to see whether it’s all clear. But we are still running the second series, so we’ll cover that in the second season. Hopefully, she can ring the bell.”
The experience also was the catalyst for a huge family argument which we’ll see on screen, something that Crosby received a lot of backlash from when the series aired in the UK.
“I think you learn a lot as a family from having someone going through that. You have to learn that you can’t just say, ‘Come on, let’s try and be positive.’ That’s not what they want to hear. Because in their situation, they cannot be positive. Like, they’ve just had the worst news of their life and it’s very hard to be positive. It was just really hard.”
The birth of Charlotte Crosby’s daughter
Crosby also welcomed daughter Alba Jean, who was named after her beloved Nan who features in the series before her death and then grieved after her subsequent loss.
When it came to Alba’s birth, Crosby still gets emotional thinking about it and rewatches the footage that was taken by the film crew who were in the room.
“She’s in the show a lot as well, which is really special,” Crosby said before adding: “Obviously it covers the birth of my little girl. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me. It’s so emotional for me and Jake and I actually sometimes just put it on just to cry because it is literally the best thing I could ever watch.”
Binge.
While most people would cringe at the thought of having cameramen in the room during childbirth, Crosby saw the lighter side.
“The cameraman actually saw Alba before I even saw her,” she said with a laugh.
After practically growing up on television, Crosby says she has no regrets about how her life of stardom has unfurled.
“I can’t change anything because it wouldn’t lead us to where I am in life and that’s what I need to remember,” she said.
Listen to the full interview with Charlotte Crosby on The Entertainment Hotline Podcast from August 18.
Charlotte in Sunderland premieres on August 17, only on Binge.