It’s hard to believe Megan McKenna only found fame three years ago on Ex On The Beach.
The 25-year-old has crammed A LOT into the last 36 months from headline-dominating appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and The Only Way Is Essex to launching a country music career that actually beat Taylor Swift and Pink on the iTunes chart!
There have been high profile romances with exes Jordan Davies and Pete Wicks, and current boyfriend, Mike Thalassitis, best known to many as Love Island’s Muggy Mike, though those days are, obviously, behind him now.
She’s even found time to launch a wildly successful range of lip kits, endorse bouncy blow dry hair extensions, film a solo reality show, There’s Something About Megan, and launch her very own restaurant, MCK Grill in Essex.
Not to mention all the glamorous red carpet appearances, magazine photoshoots and advertising deals!
Bottom line: she’s been VERY BUSY over the last three years!
So perhaps it’s no surprise Megan has now put pen to paper for her first autobiography, Mouthy, which explores everything from her rise to fame, the hardships of life in the public eye, career highlights and private struggles she’s kept secret until now…
ED! recently had an exclusive chat with Megan where she told us what to expect in the book, how Louis Walsh helped to launch her music career, and how she hopes to inspire a new generation.
Why did you want to write an autobiography at this stage in your life?
“I just feel like I’ve had so many different challenges and dramas in my life. I’ve had so many amazing things happen to me but along the way so many knock-backs and times of my life where it was difficult.
“I really wanted to write this book, especially for my younger fans, as I hope they’ll be inspired by my story. I want people to read this book. Yes, some parts are sad and emotional, but I feel there is always a good outcome. I’ve been through so many bad things and now finally my life is settling into place.
“I am so excited for it to come out! It’s been a long time in the making but I just wanted it to be perfect.”
Does it live up to the tagline of “unfiltered, uncensored and honest as ever”?
“Oh, yeah, 100 per cent! You know me! I’m one of those people who say it how it is, so I definitely am not holding back. It’s very open about my life growing up, being at school, being bullied, all the auditions I’ve had, my relationships. Literally every single part of me you will know by the end of the book.
“I’ve written about break-ups and friendships, but I’ve been very fair in everything. It’s a very interesting read.”
Did you tell people if you were writing about them?
“Well, obviously growing up loads of things happened to me and I haven’t gone up to the bullies and said I would be writing about them. I feel I’ve been fair to everyone, though. Even in the chapters about relationships I’ve just spoken about how I was feeling at the time. I was very fair.”
Have your family and friends given you any feedback?
“My mum has read the book but she’s the only one! It will be a surprise for everyone else!”
What do you want readers to get from the book?
“There is a lot of drama in this book but I also wanted it to be about empowerment and where I’ve come from and how hard I’ve worked. I also wanted to let people know the main reason for my meltdowns. That’s one of the main things I really wanted to clear up.
“Before I went on a lot of these TV shows I was in really difficult situations in my life and a lot of people don’t know that. I can’t wait for people to understand that and what was happening. There are a lot of things in this book I’ve never revealed publicly before.”
Did you always aspire to a career in entertainment?
“The book details how I’ve grown up at stage school and theatre schools my whole life. I’ve gone for auditions my whole life and had so many nos and times when I thought it would never happen. But I want this book to carry the message that you can get what you want if you work hard enough.”
Did you ever expect Ex on the Beach to be your route to fame?
“No, not in a million years! I don’t regret going on that show, but it’s another reason why I want people to read the book. I want them to understand that wasn’t the route I wanted to go down, but at that time in my life I was really unhappy and had just come out of a relationship. To get away and be offered a TV show when you’re in a situation like that seems the best cure. Obviously I didn’t realise I was walking into more drama!”
And the drama continued when you joined TOWIE!
“I know! It’s been non-stop but there have been loads of other things I’ve been doing in between all the TV shows. This is a very personal book and you find out a lot about my work, but also my family and the difficulties and highs of my life.”
Was any part of the book upsetting to write?
“The saddest part for me was going back to talk about being bullied at school and the death of my grandad. For a long time people would think, ‘Oh, she’s all good, going on TV shows and filming Big Brother and stuff’ but there was loads going on behind the scenes that people didn’t know. My granddad’s death was a big part of my life and it’s a big part of the book, too.”
You reveal how Louis Walsh urged you to go to Nashville and pursue your country dreams. How did that happen?
“I met him backstage at Celebrity Juice. It was all meant to be! He was on one panel and I was on the other. He had auditioned me years ago when I was doing X Factor and wanting to do country music. None of that got aired – my audition didn’t get aired – but he remembered me and we got speaking and it all came out from that.”
Would you have taken that leap without his encouragement?
“It’s always been something I wanted to do but obviously years ago when I was talking about wanting to go to Nashville, me and my family didn’t have enough money to jet out somewhere and stay for a few months. We just weren’t able to do that. But it’s always something I wanted to do.
“People will find out from the book that it wasn’t an easy ride for me. I’ve had so many auditions where I’ve got to the last stage and then got a ‘no’ at the last minute. It’s the worst feeling. But I want to show that younger generation that you can’t give up at the first ‘no’, you have to carry on.”
Do you feel responsibility to be a good role model to your young fans?
“I think I’m a good role model to young girls and boys because I am very business-minded. I’ve come from reality TV and I’ve been working so hard. It’s not like I just went on TV and got famous. I’ve been working hard training full time my entire life and I think people need to know that about me.”
How important is it to use your fame for good causes as well?
“I am in that fortunate position where I can highlight good causes, like taking part in The Real Full Monty: Ladies’ Night, and it’s amazing. I can put something on my Instagram and the reaction is crazy.”
Does the book cover your romance with Mike?
“Yes, of course! There’s a chapter on Mike. When I left TOWIE, I wanted to focus on TV and singing but keep my romantic life private. I want to have my relationship to myself and I do feel like I’m a lot happier in life. Me and Mike keep things more private.
“Yes, we put a few pictures on our Instagram but I feel happier keeping a lower profile. We get to live our lives and enjoy our time together in private without people commenting.”
How do you deal with rumours about your private life?
“There will always be articles written about me no matter what I do, but I just have to learn to ignore it. That’s what me and Mike both do. People can comment and we just ignore it! Besides, my fans are so amazing that I don’t even need to reply to the rumours, they’ll hit back for me!”
What else do you want to achieve this year?
“I’ve got some really amazing gigs over the summer. I’m got the Cornbury Music Festival, supporting Ronan Keating at Rochester Castle, and supporting Michael Buble at Hyde Park Summertime. I couldn’t ask for anything more! And I have a new band, which is very exciting and cool.
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“I’ve been writing new music including a track with Amy Wadge, who wrote Thinking Out Loud with Ed Sheeran. It’s going to be a good year! Then hopefully the album after this year, when I’ve been doing all my gigs. I’ll be performing new tracks at the shows then hopefully a full album next year.
“I’m also launching a clothing line called Studio Mouthy. I’ve designed everything from scratch and it’s everything I love to wear. I really can’t wait! I’m also relaunching my lip kits very soon as well. So it’s a busy year!”
Mouthy by Megan McKenna is published by John Blake in Hardback on the 26th of July.