Lauren Harries
Harries in 2019
Born
James Charles Harries

(1978-03-06) 6 March 1978
Surrey, England
OccupationMedia personality
Years active1988–present
TelevisionWogan
After Dark
Celebrity Big Brother
Naked Attraction

Lauren Charlotte Harries (born James Charles Harries; 6 March 1978) is an English media personality. As a child, she was known for her knowledge of antiques, appearing on numerous television shows including Wogan and After Dark.[1] In later life, she has been known for her appearances on television series such as Celebrity Big Brother, Big Brother's Bit on the Side, This Morning and Naked Attraction.

Early life

Lauren Charlotte Harries was born James Charles Harries on 6 March 1978 in Surrey, England.[2][3][4] Harries' father, Mark Harries, worked in the hotel business and catering trade.[5] 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.[5]

Career

Harries appearing on After Dark on 23 March 1991, aged 13

Harries began making television appearances in August 1988 on Terry Wogan's chat show,[2] Wogan. The then ten-year-old[2] demonstrated a good knowledge of antiques. At 13, she wrote an antique guide, Rags to Riches.[6][7]

In 2004, after Harries had undergone gender reassignment, Channel 4 broadcast a documentary Little Lady Fauntleroy made by actor Keith Allen in which Allen interviewed the Harries family.[8] Allen's documentary showed that the Harries family was not all they seemed; The counsellor who looked after Lauren during her sex change operation was called Lesley Stewart, which turns out to be the "business name" of Kaye Harries, Lauren's own mother. Plus it turns out that all their qualifications, doctorates in metaphysics and counselling degrees, were issued by the Cardiff College of Humanistic Studies which is located at Tudor Cottage, their own house. They've certified themselves.[9] 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,[10] 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 magazine Transliving.[11]

In August 2013, Harries became a housemate on the twelfth series of Celebrity Big Brother.[12] She finished in third place.[13] In September 2013, she appeared on Celebrity Juice.[14] Her debut single "I Am a Woman" was released in January 2015.[15] Harries released a follow-up single, "All Dressed Up" in May 2015.[16] Her final single, Upadoo" was released in May 2018.[17] In August 2019, Harries made an appearance on the Channel 4 dating series Naked Attraction, becoming the first celebrity to appear on the series.[18][19]

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.[20] Media opportunities and resulting business reduced as Harries grew up.[5] 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.[5][6] Harries then took three GCSEs after home tutoring.[21]

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,[1] and investigated gender reassignment surgery, which was carried out in 2001.[2] Funding for this was generated from publicity arranged by Max Clifford.[5]

On 8 July 2005, a group of five to seven men attacked Harries, her father and her brother in the family home.[22] One 17-year-old boy was later fined and given a supervision order for his role in the incident.[23]

Health

In April 2023, Harries underwent an emergency brain surgery for an undiagnosed illness.[24] In June 2023, Harries was placed in an induced coma for several days.[25] In July 2023, Harries underwent an additional emergency spinal surgery. Following the surgery, Harries posted to social media for the first time in three months, thanking fans for their support.[26]

Filmography

As herself
Year Title Notes Ref.
1988 Wogan Guest [27][28]
1991 After Dark
1991 The Oprah Winfrey Show
1993 Terry Wogan's Friday Night
1992 Between Ourselves
2002 After They Were Famous 1 episode
2004 Little Lady Fauntleroy Channel 4 documentary, fronted by Keith Allen
2006 Trust Me – I'm a Beauty Therapist 10 episodes
2009–2014 This Morning Guest / Antiques expert; 6 episodes
2010 Lauren Harries: Working 9-5 One series
2011–2014 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 32 episodes
2013 Celebrity Big Brother Series 12
Celebrity Juice 1 episode
2014 Bodyshockers 1 episode
2017 Loose Women Guest; 1 episode
Celebrity 100% Hotter Guest
2019 Naked Attraction Red contestant; 1 episode

Discography

Singles

Title Year Album
"I Am a Woman"[29] 2015 Non-album single
"All Dressed Up"[16]
"Upadoo"[17] 2018

References

  1. 1 2 "Interview: James Harries, teenage antiques expert". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Transsexual to move to 'safer' LA". BBC News. 6 September 2005. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
  3. ↑ "Two Programmes – Where Are They Now?, Lauren Harries". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  4. ↑ "James Charles Harries". FreeBMD. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Seaton, Matt (13 April 2001). "Just call me Lauren". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  6. 1 2 Stuart, Julia (13 April 2001). "The boy in the made-up world". The Independent (subscription required). Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  7. ↑ Harries, James Charles (1991). Rags to Riches (2nd ed.). Cardiff: Adviser and Weekly News. ISBN 1873798008.
  8. ↑ Joe Joseph (29 June 2004). "TV Review". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
  9. ↑ Wollaston, Sam (29 July 2004). "House of the surprising son". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  10. ↑ Rachel Mainwaring (15 October 2006). "Sweet link for sexy Welshies". icWales. Archived from the original on 22 April 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
  11. ↑ "Stacy gets up close and personal with TS celebrity Lauren Harries". Transliving. No. 27. Transliving International Magazine. November 2008. ISSN 1746-8329. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2009.
  12. ↑ "About Lauren". bbspy. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "'Celebrity Big Brother' Final: 'Geordie Shore' Star Charlotte Crosby Crowned Winner". HuffPost. 14 September 2013. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  14. ↑ "Celebrity Juice 2013: Lauren Harries talks about 'having sex' with Russell Brand". One News Page. 19 September 2013. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  15. ↑ "YouTube". Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2018 – via YouTube.
  16. 1 2 "All Dressed Up – Single by Lauren Harries on iTunes". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  17. 1 2 "Upadoo – Single by LAUREN on iTunes". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  18. ↑ "Lauren Harries to be first celebrity on Naked Attraction". FemaleFirst. 9 August 2019. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  19. ↑ Welsh, Daniel (9 May 2021). "Channel 4 Reportedly Shelves Celebrity Edition Of Naked Attraction". HuffPost. Retrieved 15 September 2021. While a full star-studded edition of Naked Attraction is yet to be given the go-ahead, the show has featured a celebrity in a past episode, when reality star Lauren Harries took part.
  20. ↑ Anna Hammond, South Wales Echo (13 July 2005). "Sex change ex-child star in brutal attack – Wales News". WalesOnline. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  21. ↑ "Interview: James Harries, teenage antiques expert". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  22. ↑ Anna Hammond (13 July 2005). "Sex change ex-child star brutally attacked". icWales. Archived from the original on 17 February 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2007.
  23. ↑ Gareth Llewellyn (19 September 2005). "Youth who attacked transsexual spared jail". icWales. Archived from the original on 17 February 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2007.
  24. ↑ Chilton, Louis (18 May 2023). "Lauren Harries' mother issues plea after Celebrity Big Brother star has brain surgery". The Independent. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  25. ↑ "Celebrity Big Brother's Lauren Harries placed in induced coma after major brain surgery". ITV. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  26. ↑ Woodcock, Zara (28 July 2023). "Big Brother's Lauren Harries shares health update after 'painful' spine surgery". The Mirror. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  27. ↑ "Lauren Harries – Filmography". Kinorium. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  28. ↑ "Lauren Harries is fuming after she's rejected on Naked Attraction: 'You're never getting my backside now'". Metro. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  29. ↑ "I Am a Woman – Single by Lauren Harries on iTunes". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
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