Woodland beauty
HEY say beauty is in the eye of the beholder but there are some people who couldn’t be called anything but beautiful no matter who be holding them.
Imagine, if you will, dark hair shimmering like the setting sun reflecting off a calm ocean, so soft it makes you want to nestle between the follicles and the forelocks.
Picture eyes so mesmerising that to have them fixed on you, even if only for a second, is confirmation that life is indeed a wonderful thing. A dazzling smile, teeth perfectly aligned and gleaming in the gums, and a face that melts the heart with a single glance.
All this sitting atop a body that provokes envy amongst one gender and creates covetous yearnings in the other, a form that makes everyone warm, turns heads in the streets and brings colour to the cheeks, instantly creating legions of ardent admirers.
But enough about me, we’re here to hear Laura’s story, the 20-year-old model from Woodland who has been the face of a mobile phone company, nearly became a soap opera superstar and is a struggling teenage mum in Northern Ireland.
Laura Fitzgerald won her first modelling competition when she was just three months old after her mother saw an advert in Asda but before we all start tutting and mumbling well-worn mantras about child exploitation, perhaps we should hear Dolly’s explanation.
She said: “It was a chance to get a really nice professional photo of Laura so I thought why not? It only cost me 50p and I had a wonderful picture of her at the end. I never thought about winning but she did and got a lovely big teddy bear to play with. I guess her wanting to be a model is my fault then.”
We’ve all seen and condemned the mothers caking their children in make-up and dragging them around the country entering beauty pageant after beauty pageant, chasing trophy after trophy always insisting that their daughter is the most beautiful child ever to grace God’s green earth (or at least since they were children themselves).
Dolly is certainly not one of these mothers. Not once during the hour I spent with the family on a cold October night did she mention Laura’s obvious good looks yet her silence speaks volumes. She knows Laura is beautiful, she doesn’t need to yell it out.
Dolly said: “Laura’s always been a poser and a show-off. She liked dressing up and looking very glamorous which is why she wanted to be a model. People have always been telling me how beautiful Laura is and since she was eight I’ve been told I should put her into modelling. I never wanted to though because it was important she did what she wanted. I felt uncomfortable about it especially if it was anything competitive. In fact, I didn’t let her do any modelling until she had finished school but the minute she said this is what she wanted to do I started to everything I can to make her dream a reality. I’ve got the time to search the internet looking for competitions and auditions for her but Laura always has the final say on what she wants to do.”
It was Dolly who entered Laura in the recent LG mobile phone competition. Out of 5,000 entries, Laura was one of ten to be selected as a regional winner and spent a luxury weekend in London before having her mug pasted onto a large billboard travelling around the region.
The part-time medical receptionist said: “I had to miss a friend’s wedding to go down to London but she understood. It was an incredible experience. I went down first class on the train, was given a top of the range phone and was treated like a real celebrity. All the finalists went out together and had an amazing time.”
Laura has been a finalist in the Miss Durham competition three years running, came second in the search for the face of the Vauxhall Tigre and was shortlisted to model Pantene Pro V in the TV adverts when she was 17. Just months after her Pantene Pro V audition she came even closer to becoming a star on Channel four’s teenage soap opera Hollyoaks (for the programme’s fans she would have been playing the part of Louise whose husband was murdered by her now fiancée Warren with the assistance of Justin who impregnated his teacher and Louise’s best friend but then said she’d molested him putting her in jail where she was stabbed to death. You couldn’t make it up, oh actually…).
Laura said: “I would love to be a model on TV or a presenter of some kind. They said I was too young for the Pantene Pro V but I got down to the last 50 to play Louise. I’d love to have got the part but never mind.
“It used to knock my confidence when I didn’t get jobs but I had to realise that I wasn’t right for every job. I always concentrate on the good things. If I go to five auditions in a day and four of them say I’m too short I won’t complain because the fifth could be perfect for me.
“I won’t let rejection put me off. If I go in front of the judges enough times they’ll eventually have to give me a chance.”
Laura is only five foot seven inches, an inch too short to be a catwalk model but says she is undeterred.
Laura said: “Kate Moss is the same height as me yet she made it. It annoys me that since she revealed she’s on drugs she has earnt so much more money than she did before. She’s not a role model of mine because I could never condone drug use but I do think if she can make it why can’t I? I’ve always liked Nell McAndrew because she is so natural looking and has had an amazing career.”
Bizarrely, one of Laura’s first photo shoots was for Barnardos where the glitz and glamour that first attracted her to modelling were nowhere to be seen.
Laura said: “I had to be a teenage mum so had no make-up, my hair was quite scratty and I had to wear very worn out clothes. It was the complete opposite of the glamour I’d expected but it was really exciting. The posters went out to Northern Ireland because they couldn’t put them up in the region where the model comes from in case they’re associated as the character.
“Modelling is a lot of hard work and you can spend hours just waiting to get in a few shots. I really enjoy all of it though. It can be tiring but I always get a buzz out of it.”
Laura’s celebrity star is rising in Wear Valley though.
Dolly said: “I phoned my insurance company in Crook this week to sort out Laura’s car insurance.
“The lady at the other end sounded quite excited and asked if my Laura was the same Laura Fitzgerald that had been in the papers. I said yes and she almost squealed and I could hear here colleagues in the background chatting about Laura. It was very surreal.”
Laura said: “I love showing people what I do and if they get excited for me then I really appreciate it.”
As expected though, Laura is a perfectionist when it comes to having her photograph taken. She said: “A lot of people squirm when they see a picture of themselves but I always look to see how I can improve.”
Dolly said: “it’s very rare that I show Laura a picture of her before I send it off for an audition because I know we’ll be there all day looking at it from every angle. I’ve known her to spend ages looking at her toes in one picture and a tiny laughter line in another.”
So what’s Laura’s secret to getting the airbrushed look in the real world? According to Dolly, it’s: “Water. She is always drinking water. She goes through gallons of the stuff each day.”
Laura said: “I do like water and have got very used to drinking it. I always carry a bottle around with me. I use moisturiser but that’s about it as far as skin care goes. It takes me about 10 minutes to put make up on because I prefer to look more natural.”
Bad news now for the gents in the audience who may by now be sitting upright in the chair, carefully smoothing their eyebrows and surreptitiously sniffing their armpits, licking their lips in anticipation of making their move on the model. It’s sad but true, Laura is taken.
So how does her partner of five years view Laura’s dream career?
Laura said: “John is excellent, so supportive of me. He’s never had any issues with my modelling. I’m sure there are certain things he wouldn’t want me to do but I wouldn’t do them anyway. I always ask his advice and my mum’s especially if I’m unsure about a job. He doesn’t get possessive or jealous but is instead really proud of me. He’s always showing people clippings about me and photos of me.
“Since we’ve been together he’s known about what I want to do so if he did have any problems he could have raised them a long time before now.”
Laura’s signed up to AM models in Newcastle and Dolly is currently searching for a casting agent.
Dolly said: “Her agent told me that if Laura went down to London she’d be snapped up immediately but I know she’s not that keen on going down South. The North East isn’t the best place for a model to be based but I’m looking for all sorts of jobs. I’ve been hoping she might get a job at ITV.
“Even if it’s just reception work, if we can just get her into the building then that’s a start.”
Laura said: “I’ve always wanted to own my own house and bit of land in the middle of the countryside. I love horses and animals so would love to have a few of my own... I’m not bothered about being super rich and famous, I just want to be financially secure. I also want to go travelling.”
For budding models, Laura’s advice is to start small.
Laura said: “Work your way up starting on the smaller competitions because that way you get used to the social aspect of modelling but also the bitchiness which unfortunately comes with the territory. You get used to being in front of people and hearing “not this time darling”.
“It can be disheartening but you mustn’t start comparing yourself to other models and fretting if she’s prettier or not. You won’t always be the look they’re after but you’re confidence will grow when you start getting accepted for jobs.”
