Former reality star Lauren Conrad is speaking out about her decision to step out of the spotlight.
Conrad made waves when she walked away from The Hills, MTV’s massively successful spin-off of Laguna Beach, at the peak of her fame in 2009 — but the fashion designer recently revealed in a rare interview that she never planned to stay in front of the cameras.
“I always looked at reality TV as a temporary thing to make my connections and then go on to my dream,” the 40-year-old told People for her cover interview.
After five years on the Los Angeles-based show, Conrad left to focus on her fashion career instead and launched her first collection with Kohl’s later that year.
Now living in her hometown of Laguna Beach with her husband, William Tell, and their two sons, Conrad said she prefers to exist outside of the public eye.
“I really appreciate private moments,” she said in the interview published Tuesday. “Nobody cares who I am here. It’s such a privilege to be able to live my life for myself after putting many years on camera.”
The fashion designer was 18 when Laguna Beach first debuted on MTV in 2004. The revolutionary reality series centered around a high school group of friends as they finished their senior years and prepared to start the rest of their lives.
Kristin Cavallari, Stephen Colletti, Lo Bosworth and Talan Torriero also starred in the show, which will be revisited in its highly anticipated 20th anniversary special premiering next month.
Conrad quickly became a fan-favorite on the show due to her fashion sense and girl-next-door relatability.
Two years after Laguna Beach’s premiere, MTV followed Conrad to Los Angeles to film The Hills, which documented her college life alongside her blooming fashion career as an intern at Teen Vogue. The cast also featured stars Heidi Montag, Audrina Patridge and Whitney Port.
Conrad told Seventeen magazine in 2009 that she was leaving The Hills to “stay sane.”
“My biggest thing with the show was that I wanted to walk away from it while it’s still a great thing. I always want to remember it that way,” she said at the time. “I gave MTV a deadline and said, ‘This is as long as I can do it and stay sane.’”
Conrad will return to TV for The Reunion: Laguna Beach, which premieres April 10 on the Roku Channel. The reunion will feature the show’s season one cast visiting their former hangout spots and reflecting on iconic scenes from the show.
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