'It's never gonna go away': Charlotte Crosby on trolling, social media fame and learning not to care - BBC Three
Charlotte Crosby has spent nearly 14 years in the public eye. From sharing messy nights out to her new relationships, the reality star has built up a loyal fanbase thanks to her ability to bare all - alongside her infectious humour.

On TikTok, more than a million people watch along as she takes part in dance trends and shares snippets of her life, including her daughter Alba. On Instagram, nearly nine million follow her.

Now, Charlotte is back with the second series of Charlotte in Sunderland, where she invites cameras into all aspects of her life. Throughout the series she lightly touches on her life online, and the impact of being famous.

“Because I've been doing this since I was 19 years old, I’ve not really known anything different,” Charlotte says.

Charlotte Crosby says she really doesn't care about online hate and negativity

“It’s always just been really normal [to me], whereas if I'd become famous five years ago, and I'd watched everyone else go viral and then saw it happen to me, then it would feel really strange.”

For lots of viewers, Charlotte’s online influence is aspirational.

New research suggests up to half of young British people want to be content creators.

Nina Willment, a research associate at York University who explores digital work, says these trends are partly down to the fact that influencing is really visible as a profession, and looks really appealing.

“As soon as you go on social media, influencers are there,” she says. “It looks like they’re having the best time and living a wonderful lifestyle with nice clothes, nice cars and holidays.”

But being an influencer and content creator isn’t a perfect career for everyone and there are downsides like trolling, Nina adds.

So how does Charlotte deal with negativity online? She truly doesn’t care, she says.

“The internet can only bother you if you let it,” Charlotte says. “It’s so easy to block people and turn comments off but some people obsess over it and sit and read it over and over.”

She suggests that people who struggle with anxiety about posting online and reading comments might consider another career.

“If you've got that feeling, don't bother doing it because it's never gonna go away unless you have someone by your side every day telling you that everything's gonna be all right,” she says. “But if you can't do that on your own, there’s just no point.”

Charlotte doesn't think of herself as an influencer, but rather someone who's been on TV

Despite her huge online following, Charlotte doesn’t think of herself as an influencer. “I'm a TV personality, who has followers because of that,” she says.

Regardless, she’s grateful for the platform she has. “I wouldn't be doing half the things that I'd be doing now, if it wasn't for being in the public [eye].

“I have been on TV shows, I've been in an incredible position, and I'm able to do amazing things with my life, and for my family, and so I will only say it has affected me positively.

“I've enjoyed every single second of it. The ups and the downs. And really, the downs haven't even been that much of a down,” she adds.

Researcher Nina adds that while some are able to make a living in the world of influencing, there are many who are struggling financially and don’t get paid to create content. There's also a lack of transparency over what people charge for posts, she adds.

In fact, a 2020 study suggested there was a pay gap between black and white influencers, she says.

'I'd not get drunk on TV now'

When she first started out on TV in 2011, Charlotte and her Geordie Shore cast mates rose to fame for partying, “getting mortal” (i.e. drunk), and regular hook-ups.

They probably didn’t realise just how much would be recorded and archived on the internet for eternity. Now she’s gone through that experience, is there anything she’d do differently?

There’s not very much she wouldn’t share, she says, but “there are some things that are off limits for TV now”. Things like “getting really drunk on camera”.

“It's an age thing,” she explains. “Like it's just a no.”

In the second series of Charlotte in Sunderland, Charlotte shares unfiltered, intimate details about her life, like her grief over the recent loss of her grandma, her unfiltered commentary on her sex life with fiancé Jake and her aspirations to have more children and get married.

And anyone familiar with the reality star already knows she’s a natural comic.

Does Charlotte know just how funny she is? Or is she still surprised by just how many people find her hilarious?

“No, I'm definitely funny,” she says, deadpan. “I definitely know that everything that I'm saying is going to make people laugh, and that's why I say it!”

She goes on to explain that the quality is genetic. “My mum's one of the funniest people I've ever met.”

As the TV series is largely based around Charlotte’s home and family life, Charlotte’s mum, Letitia makes regular appearances, and the two are very much a reality TV comedy duo.

Charlotte jokes: “People are bigger fans of my mum than me!”