Vicky Pattison broke down in tears as she recalled her early years in the spotlight.
The reality TV star - who recently got engaged in Dubai - sobbed as she looked back on an era of "sacrificing respect for attention" during her time on Geordie Shore.
Vicky, 34, was speaking on new digital series 'No Filter' when she opened up about the harder aspects of fame.
The one-time I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! winner became a household name in 2011, thanks to being part of the original Geordie Shore line-up.
The MTV show broadcasted the high and lows of Vicky's often dramatic life- including sex on screen, screaming arguments and relationship breakdowns.
Since quitting the show for good, Vicky has navigated a successful career for herself as a podcast host and social media influencer, but some of her early public choices still clearly upset her.
"I think if I went back and gave myself any advice I would predominantly give her a hug. And I would tell her that things would get better," Vicky explained as she began to cry on camera.
"I’m sorry….I’d say things get better, I’d advise never to sacrifice respect for attention, if I would have listened to that advice from my future self I would have made my life a lot easier, I’ll tell you that for now," she added with a laugh.
The newly-engaged star continued: "It’s so difficult to just love yourself unconditionally. In fact we are completely conditioned not to. When we’re unhappy and we don’t like what we see, we’re like a marketers dream aren’t we?
"So anyone who is struggling just needs to remember that. That all those things think you hate about the self, they’re not there, they’re not true."
Vicky then went on to explain that as she grew up on camera, she realised the Geordie Shore life wasn't for her as she entered her thirties.
"When I first went on the show I was very young and very impressionable, and it was a whole show centred around drinking, having a good time and kissing people you probably shouldn't," she recalled.
"When you're in your early 20s all of that stuff’s okay, isn’t it? It’s kind of what you’re doing.
"But as I got a little bit older I started to desire different things and the pressure got to me and I coped with it by becoming this caricature of myself."
The star thoughtfully added: "This person I thought everyone wanted me to be, like very loud and opinionated and sassy and strong, and actually nobody is like that all the time and it was really draining."
Thankfully, Vicky is in a much better place these days, after seeking therapy and coming on "leaps and bounds".
The Newcastle native announced her engagement to her partner of three years last month, giving her Instagram followers a glimpse of the new rock on her finger.
"Choose you and I'll choose you over and over without pause, without a doubt, in a heartbeat... It'll always be you," the reality TV star gushed as she shared her and Ercan Ramadan's happy news with her followers.
The former TOWIE star popped the question to Vicky as they enjoyed a romantic break together in Dubai.
*New episodes of Heart’s ‘No Filter’ series is available Fridays on Global Player
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