The Valleys reality star Lateysha Grace ready 'to start a fresh chapter'
IT has been a whirlwind year for Port Talbot reality star Lateysha Grace.
Last year the 20-year-old was picked from obscurity by producers of MTV reality show The Valleys and thrust into the spotlight overnight.
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WHIRLWIND YEAR: Lateysha Grace, who has starred in MTV show The Valleys
But her life was turned upside down in a negative way when she had to face allegations of assault at court.
The hearing took place just days before she was due to appear in the controversial television show.
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But a Swansea Crown Court jury found her not guilty of assaulting her former friend.
"It was the most difficult time of my life," said Lateysha, who lives in Sandfields.
"I want to start a fresh chapter and I am glad it is behind me. I am glad the truth came out. I just want to forget about it."
The Valleys first aired last September for six weeks and hit the headlines for showing nudity and scenes of a sexual nature.
"It has been crazy," said Lateysha.
"Everybody asks me for a picture when I am out shopping. I can't go out looking like a scruff because people take pictures and post them on Twitter."
The non-scripted series follows nine participants as they move to live and work in Cardiff and is the latest in a line of reality shows charting the daily lives of "ordinary people", which have included The Only Way is Essex, Geordie Shore and Made in Chelsea .
After the show first hit the screens, Rhondda Labour MP Chris Bryant said it was "twice as bad" as he had feared it was going to be, while the singer Charlotte Church described the series as "horrific".
The makers of the show previously defended its portrayal of the area, saying it was "absolutely not about stereotyping". There is now a second series due to be filmed.
In response to the criticism Lateysha said she felt they should not be judged. "I don't think anybody should think of us as role models. We are not doing anything different from other people our age."
Comments
by Ladybroom
Friday, January 11 2013, 8:13PM
“she's obviously not been to go back for the second series then...”
by lordcharles
Friday, January 11 2013, 6:30PM
“The programme was an embarassment, for this young lady to say 'they are not doing anything different from other people our age' is somewhat confusing, none of the people l know of her age are anything like that, they are either working, studying or doing something worthwhile. This programme is an insult to intelligence and and a degredation of the majority of Welsh youth.”
by Julesbreadbox
Friday, January 11 2013, 12:15PM
“Amazing what becomes a "star" nowadays.
Stars used to be great actors, either on stage or movie screen.
Now the only criteria seem to be turning white and orange(basically as fake as possible) and appear in nav reality shows, be it "TOWIE","Made in Chelsea" or this Valleys version.
Next step on the cleb ladder is "Celecrity Big Brother" and turn up in the dshungle camp.
By then most of their names will thankfully be forgotten,anyway.
But TV makers will still call such people "stars" or "celbrities".”
by thoughtfulone
Friday, January 11 2013, 11:47AM
“never thought I would find myself agreeing with Charlotte Church....is this really news Evening Post ?”
by Jiffy
Friday, January 11 2013, 11:44AM
“Red dust from the steel works innit...”
by SCFC_10
Friday, January 11 2013, 10:35AM
“She's very orange isn't she.”