Lauren Charlotte Harries is a British television personality. As a child she was known for her knowledge of antiques, appearing on numerous television shows including After Dark and Wogan. In later life, she is known for her appearances on television series such as Celebrity Big Brother, Big Brother's Bit on the Side and This Morning.
Early life
Harries' father, Mark Harries, worked in the hotel business and catering trade. The family moved to Cardiff when Harries was still a baby. From the age of five, she enjoyed art and antiques, and had an apparent ability to spot bargains at local jumble sales and second-hand shops.
Early career
Harries began making television appearances in August 1988 on Terry Wogan's chat show, Wogan. The then ten-year-old demonstrated a good knowledge of antiques. At 13, she wrote an antique guide, Rags to Riches.
Later career
In 2004, after Harries had undergone sex reassignment, Channel 4 broadcast a documentary Little Lady Fauntleroy made by actor Keith Allen in which he interviewed the Harries family. The documentary was released on DVD on 4 July 2005. In October 2006, Harries appeared in the Channel 5 television series Trust Me – I'm a Beauty Therapist, which was filmed on location in a beauty therapist's in Swansea, Wales. In November 2008, Harries was featured as a cover girl in the specialist lifestyle magazineTransliving. In August 2013, Harries became a housemate on the twelfth series of Celebrity Big Brother. She finished in third place. In September 2013, she appeared on Celebrity Juice. Her debut single "I Am a Woman" was released in January 2015. Harries released a follow-up single, "Upadoo" in May 2018. In August 2019, Harries made an appearance on the Channel 4 dating series Naked Attraction.
Personal life
Harries' schooling suffered from the heightened publicity. By the age of 14, Harries suffered depression and agoraphobia, which led to a nervous breakdown and suicide attempt. Media opportunities and resulting business reduced as Harries grew up. In the recession of the early 1990s, the family's businesses failed. One family shop was destroyed by fire, and her father was convicted of insurance fraud. Harries sold some of her collections to assist in the support of the family. Harries then took three GCSEs after home tutoring. As a child, Harries had been taken by her family to see a doctor because she displayed feminine mannerisms. Later, Harries decided to transition from male to female, change her name to Lauren Charlotte, and investigated gender reassignment surgery, which was carried out in 2001. Funding for this was generated from publicity arranged by Max Clifford. On 8 July 2005, a group of five to seven men attacked Harries, her father and her brother in the family home. One 17-year-old boy was later fined and given a supervision order for his role in the incident.
