‘It’s not easy to have a camera in your face’: Mark Wright laments reality stars being branded ‘talentless’ as former TOWIE star admits he loves proving those who doubt him wrong
Mark Wright has admitted finding fame on reality TV comes with a ‘stigma’ as people think you have ‘no talents’.
The TV personality, 33, found fame as one of the original stars of The Only Way Is Essex before he later appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Speaking to Radio Times about signing with association football club Crawley Town, Mark said living life in front of the cameras was not as easy as it looked.
Judgement: Mark Wright has admitted finding fame on reality TV comes with a ‘stigma’ as people think you have ‘no talents’
He said: ‘Starting out on a reality TV show does come with a stigma. The minute somebody does one, they apparently have no talents. But I beg to differ. It’s not easy to have a camera put in your face and be expected to be entertaining or likeable.’
Mark added that he loves it when people ‘doubt’ him and one of the reasons he previously moved to Los Angeles to become a TV host with Extra was because people told him not to risk what he already had.
Describing himself as a ‘winner’, Mark said being underestimated is like a ‘shot of adrenaline’ for him.
The footballer said he and wife Michelle Keegan are both supportive of each other’s ambitions, even if it means they have to be apart due to their busy careers.
Back in the day: The TV personality, 33, found fame as one of the original stars of The Only Way Is Essex (pictured with former co-stars Sam Faiers and Amy Childs in 2010)
He said: ‘She wants me to realise my dreams. And that’s something which works both ways – I want her to do what she wants, too, even if that means her travelling and being away from me. When you love and respect someone, that’s what you want for them.’
Mark also insisted that his signing to Crawley Town, on a non-contract basis, is not merely a publicity stunt, saying he grew up wanting to play football.
Mark added that it is a great feeling to get to play the sport in front of his father and grandfather again.
The reality star previously had a football career in front of him, becoming a youth team captain for Tottenham Hotspur.
Couple: Mark said he and wife Michelle Keegan are both supportive of each other’s ambitions, even if it means they have to be apart due to their careers (pictured together in March 2020)
However, he was later let go by the team when his fitness fell by the wayside after a summer spent partying with pals in Spain.
Mark admitted he ruined his own career and the ‘trauma’ of being let go by the team has stayed with him for the last 15 years.
The star’s younger brother Josh is also a member of the Crawley Town squad, but Mark insisted there’s no rivalry between the pair, calling Josh his best friend.
Mark’s full interview is available in the new issue of Radio Times magazine, on sale now.
Read all about it: Mark’s full interview is available in the new issue of Radio Times magazine, on sale now.