August 27, 2024 • 40 mins
TV personality Zara McDermott goes on a nostalgic tour of Romford and Upminster. Her journey begins at the Atik nightclub (formerly Fiction) in Romford, where she reminisces about her early clubbing days. She then visits her childhood home in Upminster, and takes a trip to her secondary school, where she opens up about her experiences with bullying and being a victim of revenge porn. She also discusses her passion for education. Along the way, Zara shares behind-the-scenes stories from her time in the Love Island villa. Find out why Alex Legouix is driving Zara in a Hyundai i10.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Zara McDermott (00:02):
I've not been around these roads in years. Where did
my love for TV begin? Where is it? Oh, this
is so fun. Then there it is. See? That's where I
started to be like, " Wow."
Alex Legouix (00:13):
What feelings are evoked?
Zara McDermott (00:15):
Fear.
Alex Legouix (00:17):
Really?
Zara McDermott (00:18):
Honesty. It really is.
Alex Legouix (00:24):
Welcome to Romford Town Centre for this episode of Show
On the Road with the very inspiring Zara McDermott. From
policy advisor at the Department for Education, to Love Island
and reality TV, Zara has explored a number of career
paths, all of which have led her to become the
media personality she is today. Brought to you by Auto
(00:46):
Trader, the UK's largest automotive platform. This is Show On
the Road, taking celebrities on a whistle- stop tour of
the places which helped shape them to discover the actual
real roads to their success. On today's road trip, we're
traveling with Zara to her hometown of Upminster, exploring the
(01:06):
minefields of influencer culture, her love of making TV, as well
as her passion for education. I'm Alex Legouix, about to
pull over in a Hyundai i10, a car she'll already
be very familiar with. And there is Zara.
Zara McDermott (01:27):
Hi. Thank you for picking me up from here.
Alex Legouix (01:31):
My absolute pleasure. In the Hyundai i10.
Zara McDermott (01:36):
I'm obsessed with this car. It's nostalgic for me. Brings
back good memories. I actually passed my test-
Alex Legouix (01:41):
Oh, did you?
Zara McDermott (01:41):
... in a Hyundai i10, yeah. In my mum's car, and we shared
it for a few years, yeah.
Alex Legouix (01:46):
Oh.
Zara McDermott (01:46):
So, yeah. Memories.
Alex Legouix (01:48):
Nice.
Zara McDermott (01:49):
I'm really excited. I'm sorry to make you come to
Romford to pick me up.
Alex Legouix (01:53):
I've never been to Romford.
Zara McDermott (01:54):
You've never been to Romford?
Alex Legouix (01:54):
I've obviously heard about it, seen a little bit of
TOWIE, all that sort of stuff, but I've never been.
Zara McDermott (02:00):
I love it because it's where I grew up.
Alex Legouix (02:02):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (02:02):
I've got so many lovely memories of coming here with my
friends. Went on a few dates at the bowling alley,
you know?
Alex Legouix (02:09):
Amazing.
Zara McDermott (02:10):
This is my get- up when I was younger.
Alex Legouix (02:12):
You happy? Should we get going?
Zara McDermott (02:13):
Yeah, let's get going. Oh, we're about to go past Atik.
Alex Legouix (02:22):
Oh, brilliant.
Zara McDermott (02:23):
Formerly Fiction.
Alex Legouix (02:24):
Okay. I guess, does that represent old you, or do
you still like clubbing?
Zara McDermott (02:28):
No, I do not like clubbing at all. And I never really
have. But Upminster where I grew up, it's almost like a
little village, and all of us would kind of do
the same thing on the weekends. We would go to
Romford and we would go to Yates. There was a
Yates bar and then we would go to Atik, which was Fiction, every
(02:49):
Saturday, really.
Alex Legouix (02:50):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (02:50):
Sometimes Friday and Saturday and it was just like the
done thing.
Alex Legouix (02:54):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (02:54):
So I would go there quite a lot with my friends and my
boyfriend at the time. We would go probably too much.
And I remember the sticky floors. I wonder what it
looks like now on the inside. I'd love to see.
Alex Legouix (03:06):
No, you definitely wouldn't. It would be gross.
Zara McDermott (03:07):
Where is it? Oh, this is so fun. Then there it is.
See? I've not really sold it very well, have I?
Look at it. It's just on a corner.
Alex Legouix (03:16):
Wow. I mean, yeah, it's not looking the most salubrious
of all places.
Zara McDermott (03:20):
It's not very luxurious.
Alex Legouix (03:20):
It's like a garage door. I quite like the graffiti that they've got up the top.
Zara McDermott (03:25):
Yeah, I mean it's really gives it some character, doesn't it?
Alex Legouix (03:27):
Yeah. Would there be a long queue out? Paint the
picture for me.
Zara McDermott (03:32):
It's half past 11. You've had a couple of drinks
in the bar across the road, and it's now time
to take on Fiction, and every time I'd go in,
the same song would be playing. It would be like the...
MUSIC (03:43):
House every weekend.
Zara McDermott (03:45):
You know that one? Every single... Every single time. But yeah, that's
like my late teenage years.
Alex Legouix (03:52):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (03:53):
It was a free for all as well trying to get taxis and stuff home afterwards.
But I have a lot of fond memories that I really enjoyed
myself in those years. I was very carefree and just
living my best life.
Alex Legouix (04:05):
What sort of teenager were you?
Zara McDermott (04:07):
I mean, look, I went through a lot of stuff when
I was at school, and it made me quite shy
and reserved, and I would kind of just go and
do the things I felt like I needed to do
at the time to kind of fit in. One of
those things was definitely going to that nightclub regularly with
my friends because I desperately wanted a group of people
(04:28):
to go out with because I never really had that
in school. And then I think when I got to about 18 and
I got my first job, I got an apprenticeship in
the government. I started to actually find my identity, come
out of my shell a bit, do more things, go
out with my friends. But yeah, when I was younger
I was a lot more reserved, I think, for sure. Oh my gosh, my
(04:50):
old orthodontist, where I got my braces done, is just around here.
Alex Legouix (04:53):
Ah.
Zara McDermott (04:53):
I've not been around these roads in, actually, years.
Alex Legouix (05:03):
I'd like to delve into the social media side a
little bit more later, but the other way that nightclubs
are significant in your story is, of course, they are
the lifeblood of Ibiza-
Zara McDermott (05:16):
Yes.
Alex Legouix (05:16):
... which is the focus of one of your many
very gritty documentaries that you've made.
Zara McDermott (05:21):
Thank you.
Alex Legouix (05:23):
Tell us a little bit about this journey that you've
been on, the journalistic side of yourself.
Zara McDermott (05:28):
Yeah, so I mean, what's weird, I was actually thinking
about this yesterday, like where did my love for TV
begin? And I remember my first TV experience was obviously
Love Island. I was more fascinated and more gripped by
the outsides of the villa, and how the production worked,
and how the gallery worked, and stuff like that as
(05:49):
opposed to being actually in there. That's where I started
to be like, " Wow," like, TV is really interesting and
you can tell a story and convey a message in
a really visual, creative way. So when I got approached
to create a kind of taste to take pilot of
my first film, which went on to be Revenge Porn,
(06:10):
I was like, " Okay, wow. I feel like I'm ready
to tell the story." And we started developing that in
May 2019. We had a commission by Christmas 2019, so
it took a while.
Alex Legouix (06:21):
Right.
Zara McDermott (06:22):
And then I've been making films literally ever since then.
That was like the coolest kind of Christmas present ever.
Alex Legouix (06:30):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (06:30):
But I don't think I really knew what I was fully getting myself in
for in terms of the emotional toll that it took
on me diving into my own story as well. It wasn't something
that I'd really explored. I was a victim for revenge
porn when I was 14, so going back in time
and going into that was really emotionally kind of like a
lot. But then it was the best thing that ever
(06:52):
happened to me as well because it led me to
become an actual documentary maker now, and I can't believe
I'm actually saying it because it doesn't sometimes feel real.
Alex Legouix (07:01):
What do you think that you've learnt over the time
then about journalism?
Zara McDermott (07:07):
I think that for me, it's been about learning so
much behind the scenes and not necessarily gloating to the world and being like, "
Guys, just to let you all know, I'm learning how to be
a producer. I'm learning how to use a camera, I'm
learning how to do this." But I do that all behind
the scenes and I do work really, really hard, you know?
Alex Legouix (07:25):
Mm-hmm.
Zara McDermott (07:25):
I develop my own films. I pitch them to my
team at the BBC. I go into the office and
do pre- production, help with casting some contribs, and I'm
doing my kind of independent training to actually be able
to be a proper journalist.
Alex Legouix (07:41):
Right.
Zara McDermott (07:41):
And it's taught me so much about journalism in terms
of how to make a good program, and how important
the edit is, and the production and taking care of
contributors, especially when you're talking about difficult subjects. But at
the same time it's also about earning your stripes, learning
your place.
Alex Legouix (07:57):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (07:58):
You don't get something for nothing, really. And I don't
take any of that for granted. I don't think just
because I may have a fair amount of followers on
Instagram does not mean that I'm any more entitled to
this job over someone else. So for me, it's about
proving myself in that sense and making sure I do the
groundwork as well.
Alex Legouix (08:15):
Yeah. Can you help us get to your first home?
Zara McDermott (08:23):
Yeah. So basically, if you go right, and then an
immediate left down that little side road, you can see that.
Alex Legouix (08:29):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (08:31):
God, I honestly have not been here in years. Ah.
Yeah, this is it. I need to call my mum and ask her which
number we lived at. I'm pretty sure it's like one
of these. I'm going to say it's that one, the
white one with the pillars outside.
Zara's Mom (08:46):
Hello.
Zara McDermott (08:50):
Hello. Just quickly, what number Westland Avenue did we live at?
Zara's Mom (08:53):
Number ( beep).
Zara McDermott (08:54):
Oh, I was right.
Alex Legouix (08:59):
You were right. Thanks, Mum.
Zara's Mom (08:59):
Yeah, we bought that. So it was a repossession. It was very run down. We just
did it up a bit and then lived there a
few years and moved to Upminster after that, didn't we?
Zara McDermott (09:06):
Yeah, I was actually only two when we moved out
of this one, so the memories are a little bit
hazy back then.
Alex Legouix (09:11):
Yeah, you're not expected to know about back then.
Zara's Mom (09:11):
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Zara McDermott (09:14):
Right. All good. Thanks, Mum.
Zara's Mom (09:16):
Oh, that's all right. Bye.
Zara McDermott (09:16):
Bye.
Zara's Mom (09:16):
Bye.
Alex Legouix (09:18):
I love that. So for our listeners, we are looking
at a two up, two down white house with these
slightly, slightly aged, over the top-
Zara McDermott (09:30):
Pillars.
Alex Legouix (09:30):
... pillars outside the front. Who did you live here
with then? Your parents and your brother?
Zara McDermott (09:35):
Just my mum and dad. So my brother wasn't born when
we lived in this house, but yeah, this is the
first house that I came home to.
Alex Legouix (09:42):
What have your mum and dad told you about you from
that period?
Zara McDermott (09:49):
I was a really irritating baby.
Alex Legouix (09:53):
Why?
Zara McDermott (09:53):
I had colic really bad. I still can't burp, you know?
Alex Legouix (09:56):
Oh, really?
Zara McDermott (09:57):
I physically, I have no ability to burp. And I
was very grisly and very kind of hard to please
baby. And then when she had my brother, she was like, "
Wow, this is what babies are supposed to be."
Alex Legouix (10:09):
How funny. Normally, it's the other way round.
Zara McDermott (10:11):
Yeah, I know. No, my brother was a little angel
compared to me. Obviously, I couldn't help it. I was obviously
in a lot of discomfort when I was a newborn,
but yeah, I was a bit of a nightmare, really.
I threw them in at the deep end.
Alex Legouix (10:22):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (10:23):
I was their test. That's what I think.
Alex Legouix (10:25):
So loads of us know you from Love Island.
Zara McDermott (10:29):
I wasn't very memorable in Love Island. I barely spoke. I had no
idea that there was something called an edit. I thought
that everything I did would be on TV. So I
would generally get up in the morning, take my mic
off and do 50 lengths in the pool.
Alex Legouix (10:44):
Oh, wow.
Zara McDermott (10:45):
Yeah, because I loved swimming. I was just doing my
swimming back and forth and I didn't really speak to
many people, and I didn't understand that people might not
like me, like people might think I was boring.
Alex Legouix (10:55):
Oh, right.
Zara McDermott (10:56):
I generally had no conception or understanding of how people
may perceive me. I had no worries about how people
would perceive me. I was the most naive person walking
into it. I think I'd honestly lived such a sheltered
life before and I just didn't really have a full
understanding of what I was doing. I didn't have a
(11:17):
game plan or anything. I was wandering around. As I
said, I was doing my lengths. I made myself some
breakfast, got myself a hot chocolate, was doing my makeup,
choosing my bikini. I literally thought I was on a holiday. I thought I was on holiday. I
was also very overwhelmed. I was a bit like, " This is a bit
weird." All these people, very big characters, and I'm not a
very big character. I'm quite reserved. So I didn't say
(11:39):
a word to anyone and they were all in the
gallery going, "Is she all right? Is she okay? Does anyone..." And then
I remember a producer came in and was like, " Are
you okay?" I was like, " Yeah, I'm fine. I'm absolutely fine,
thanks." And they're thinking, " She's not speaking. Why is she not speaking?"
Alex Legouix (11:54):
That's brilliant.
Zara McDermott (11:55):
It's funny.
Alex Legouix (11:55):
Because in hindsight, you must look back on that and
be like, " That's not going to make great TV."
Zara McDermott (12:00):
Exactly. To be honest, I really initially didn't want to
do it. I got scouted on Instagram, and I turned it
down, and then they were like, " Come in and do an interview." And I was thinking, "
Oh, there's no way they're going to want me." I'm
like a boring 21- year- old. I don't really go
out much. I work in the government. I'm very boring. I'm not
(12:22):
a big personality. I'm not a confrontational person at all. In
fact, if anyone confronts me with anything, I cry. There's
no way I'm going to be good television. I knew
it. They cast me anyway and I got it, and
I remember being like, " What? What? How? What? Why? How have
I got this? This is just impossible." And I kind of
went through the process because I thought, " There's no way
(12:42):
they're ever going to cast me." And then when I got the
call, I remember being like, " Oh, I actually have to do it now."
Alex Legouix (12:46):
Amazing.
Zara McDermott (12:46):
But yeah, it was crazy.
Alex Legouix (12:49):
You touched on just there what you were doing prior to
Love Island. So for those of you who don't know,
tell us a little bit more about what you were
doing before that.
Zara McDermott (12:58):
Yeah, so after I finished school, I didn't really want
to go to university. I got really good A- levels. So
I worked in climate change for two years and I
desperately wanted to go into education because I actually wanted to
be a primary school teacher. That was always my dream. And I was like, "
Maybe I'll give this apprenticeship a go and then I'll
(13:20):
see whether I still want to be a teacher." If I
maybe working in the policy behind the scenes part of education
will be where I'll find my feet and that part
of it, so where did I-
Alex Legouix (13:31):
Where did that belief in the education system come from?
Zara McDermott (13:35):
I wanted to be a midwife from, as one of
my first memories, is wanting to be a midwife. And
then I think when I grew older, I used to
volunteer in schools and help children who had slight learning difficulties.
So I used to go every couple of weeks and
spend a few hours in the local primary schools and
just help support the younger children who were struggling in
(13:58):
class, and I found a real fulfillment for that. I
absolutely loved it. I would literally be so excited to
go and help these children. And I realized I think I
had a bit of a gift of talking to children
and it made me realize I really want to work
in education. I would think I'd be a really good primary school
teacher. That's where I felt like everything worked for me.
(14:18):
So yeah, I kind of got myself into the education
side of things in policy in the government, but I
basically was so desperate to get into the department, that
I took any job. So I applied for so many
jobs in there and I ended up working on sick
forms, which wasn't where my passion was, which was for
primary education. But then I ended up getting my Love
(14:40):
Island offer.
Alex Legouix (14:40):
Oh.
Zara McDermott (14:40):
And I was like, " Oh, I'll take a career break for a year
and do that for a bit and then go back
to work," because I always knew that's what I wanted to
do, but it kind of didn't really work out like
that. And then obviously, I started making documentaries, so it
has never really stopped for me.
Alex Legouix (14:55):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (14:56):
I'm still on a career break.
Alex Legouix (14:57):
But you still do an awful lot of campaigning, don't you?
Zara McDermott (15:02):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (15:02):
So you still work with the government, right?
Zara McDermott (15:04):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what's amazing, actually, is the fact that
I still get to do a lot of this stuff
that I kind of dreamed of doing, like getting into schools,
and speaking to young people. It's not primary children, ages
four to kind of 11, which is where I really
wanted to be, but I actually think that where I'm
making the impact is actually where I was meant to
(15:25):
be all along. I did a school's tour with my
Disordered Eating documentary, and I did a tour where we
took along an expert in eating disorders from a charity,
and we would do a Q& A session with the students about
disordered eating. But all my documentaries, really, are being shown in
schools nowadays-
Alex Legouix (15:46):
So good.
Zara McDermott (15:46):
... which is incredible as part of the PSHE curriculum
and as part of PSHE lessons, which is just amazing.
I just never thought that this would be possible. So
in a way, I am teaching kids in schools, but
I'm kind of doing, I think, what I felt like I
was meant to be doing.
Alex Legouix (16:03):
And that part might just come further down the line.
Zara McDermott (16:05):
Exactly. I genuinely would love to be a primary school teacher
one day. I would love to.
Alex Legouix (16:10):
What other campaigns are you involved in? You seem to
be doing so much.
Zara McDermott (16:15):
I mean, honestly, I try to be involved anywhere that
I can, really, with any of the documentaries that I
make. I mean, my Revenge Porn documentary actually changed the
law on revenge porn, which was one of the biggest
achievements of my life. It was made illegal to threaten
(16:36):
to share images. So what would happen is someone would
go to the police and say, " Oh, my ex- boyfriend
or someone that I know is threatening to share these
images." And they'd be like, " Well, sorry, we can't do
anything until they've done it. Come back when they've done
it." And it's like the damage is done there. So
it's now illegal to actually make that threat.
Alex Legouix (16:51):
That's so good. So our next destination is Springfield Playgroup.
Zara McDermott (16:56):
It's my nursery.
Alex Legouix (16:57):
Your nursery.
Zara McDermott (16:57):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (16:57):
I don't obviously expect any wildly vivid memories.
Zara McDermott (17:02):
Oh, I have some. Honestly.
Alex Legouix (17:03):
Oh, do you?
Zara McDermott (17:03):
I really do. Yeah, because it's next door is our church.
We went to church here as well, so literally, the
little playgroup is just, it's a tiny little building.
Alex Legouix (17:14):
Here we are.
Zara McDermott (17:14):
But it's just there. Literally, that is where I went
to playgroup.
Alex Legouix (17:17):
And the school is essentially in the car park over there.
Zara McDermott (17:20):
It kind of is in the car park, yeah.
Alex Legouix (17:22):
And the church is, like, that's cool mosaic pattern on the outside, blues and whites.
Zara McDermott (17:30):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (17:30):
And then a brown brick building to the side of
it, which is where baby Zara went.
Zara McDermott (17:35):
Yeah, I have lovely memories from playgroup. I remember being
the angel in the nativity. And I remember my first
time being mean to someone in playgroup.
Alex Legouix (17:46):
Oh, do you?
Zara McDermott (17:46):
And I remember feeling-
Alex Legouix (17:46):
What did you do?
Zara McDermott (17:48):
I pushed someone down the slide, and I remember feeling
this, and I'd obviously never felt this emotion before - guilt.
This boy in my nursery, he was driving me insane.
He was shouting wanting me to play with him, and
he pushed in front of me on the slide, and
I pushed him down the slide - not hard. I just
been... Like that. And I remember being like, " Oh, I've
(18:09):
done something really wrong," and I reported myself to the teacher, and
that's one of my really vivid memories, is the first
feeling of guilt.
Alex Legouix (18:19):
Amazing.
Zara McDermott (18:19):
The first time I was like-
Alex Legouix (18:20):
And it's such a strong emotion as well.
Zara McDermott (18:22):
I know. Big memories. But yeah, so I have a lot of lovely memories. Actually,
funny story, our next house we moved into after Westland
Avenue, the first house we moved into was on Fairfield
Avenue, which is literally just down here, which we can
go to if you like.
Alex Legouix (18:36):
Okay.
Zara McDermott (18:37):
And we used to have still a cat called Max,
and he used to come on walks with us, so
when my mom would come and pick me and my brother
up from nursery, she would just walk down this road
and the cat would come with us.
Alex Legouix (18:49):
Oh, that's so cute.
Zara McDermott (18:50):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (18:51):
Yeah. You're a mad passionate cat lover, aren't you?
Zara McDermott (18:53):
I'm the craziest cat lady you may ever meet, and honestly, when
I'm older, I will have a cat sanctuary with all the
cats that no one wants, and it's all because of
Max. Yeah, it is honestly-
Alex Legouix (19:04):
Basically.
Zara McDermott (19:05):
It is all because of Max. This was the first
road that we moved to after Westland Avenue.
Alex Legouix (19:10):
So we need to turn right, do we?
Zara McDermott (19:10):
Yeah, we turn right down here. Fairfield Avenue.
Alex Legouix (19:15):
It's nice around here.
Zara McDermott (19:16):
Yeah, it's lovely around here. It is.
Alex Legouix (19:17):
I like all the white brick and the black beams. Is
that like Tudor?
Zara McDermott (19:23):
Yeah, it is, but it's the only cream house. Well,
it was the only cream house on this road.
Alex Legouix (19:27):
Oh, yes.
Zara McDermott (19:28):
Can you see it?
Alex Legouix (19:29):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (19:29):
That was... I'm going to send a photo to my mom. So
funny. Yeah, this is our house. We actually did all of this
renovation here, so it was actually a lot smaller. And
yeah, we loved this house. This is where most of my
childhood memories are in this house. And do you know what?
See those windows right there?
Alex Legouix (19:49):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (19:49):
In that room was where I first watched Strictly.
Alex Legouix (19:53):
Oh, really?
Zara McDermott (19:53):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (19:54):
Oh, wow.
Zara McDermott (19:54):
I first watched strictly with my nan, who's sadly passed away now,
and we would dance around that living room there.
Alex Legouix (20:02):
Oh.
Zara McDermott (20:02):
And that's where I remember being like, " I would love
to do Strictly."
Alex Legouix (20:06):
Aw.
Zara McDermott (20:06):
So whenever I think about that moment, it's in that
room there.
Alex Legouix (20:12):
Well, there's a lot of countryside, isn't there, actually around
here? And it's all starting to get a little bit leafier.
Zara McDermott (20:18):
Yes, it's nice. It's like a little countryside in almost
in London, you know?
Alex Legouix (20:23):
Yeah. Today we are driving a brand new Hyundai i10
in gray. Zara, you and your mom had one just
like this, didn't you?
Zara McDermott (20:34):
Literally, just like this. We had a gray one and
we also had a white one just before.
Alex Legouix (20:37):
Ah, okay. Well, I can tell you that gray is
the third most popular color for Hyundai i10s on Auto
Trader. So your mom had a white one as well.
Now do you think that that's more or less popular
than the gray?
Zara McDermott (20:51):
I think the gray would be more popular, to be honest.
Alex Legouix (20:53):
Okay. Well, I can tell you that white is actually
the most popular for the i10 on Auto Trader. If
you could go for another one, what color would you
pick now?
Zara McDermott (21:02):
I think I'd go for the gray still. I feel like
it's quite cute and understated.
Alex Legouix (21:07):
Yes. Good. Nice. I think I would go for the
polar opposite. I think I'd probably have it in a
bright yellow or something like that, personally.
Zara McDermott (21:15):
There is something quite cute about little cars in a
bright color.
Alex Legouix (21:18):
Yes, the pop.
Zara McDermott (21:19):
Yeah, love it.
Alex Legouix (21:20):
I agree. Now on Auto Trader, we have great deals on brand
new cars. So you can buy or lease a brand
new Hyundai i10 just like this one. Should we get on with the show?
Zara McDermott (21:32):
Let's do it.
Alex Legouix (21:35):
So this is Coopers' Company and Coborn School that we're
about to pass, right?
Zara McDermott (21:41):
Yes. A very-
Alex Legouix (21:42):
It's quite a name.
Zara McDermott (21:42):
It is a bit of a long name.
Alex Legouix (21:46):
And this is your secondary school, right?
Zara McDermott (21:47):
Yeah. Oh, could we drive in here? Oh.
Alex Legouix (21:51):
On the left we can see the big playing fields
and kids out there, poor guys having to run around in the rain.
Zara McDermott (21:57):
Yeah, run around in there.
Alex Legouix (21:59):
And then a rather large looking brown brick school.
Zara McDermott (22:04):
Yup.
Alex Legouix (22:05):
So what feelings are evoked when you look at the school?
Zara McDermott (22:09):
Fear.
Alex Legouix (22:10):
Really?
Zara McDermott (22:10):
Honestly, it really is. I was quite let down by
the school quite a lot through my teenage years. I
was bullied from when I was... I mean, in year seven,
there were so many instances that happened, but I remember being
mocked by my entire science class and this was in year seven,
so it was my form class, and they were making
(22:32):
really nasty gestures towards me all at the same time.
Thought it was really funny. My teacher didn't really do anything.
I would go in everyday just thinking, " What's it going
to be like today?" I mean, I got bullied up
until I was in year 13, so it was my
entire experience. There really wasn't a day where I didn't experience it.
I was still being bullied by a girl in my year.
(22:54):
She also had a lot going on at home in her
home life, but she bullied me so badly, and it
was really hard because my mum worked at the school as
well, and my mum worked in the food and textiles department,
so I used to go and eat my lunch with
her because I didn't really have any friends. And obviously,
I had the photo- shed round of me when I
was 14. And a lot of that came from not
(23:16):
wanting to be bullied anymore and thinking like, " Oh, maybe
if I share this photo, maybe if I do this for
this boy, maybe he'll like me.
Maybe I'll stop, the bullying will stop because if he
likes me and he's in the popular group, then they'll all
stop bullying me. And it was kind of that validation
that I was looking for that ended up kind of
ruining my life more than I've ever thought it could. And
(23:38):
then I ended up getting suspended from school. So when
it happened, the boy actually wasn't punished at all and
I was suspended and they called my family into their
headteacher's office. So when I kind of look at those school gates
now, I kind of remember that every day going in thinking, "
What's going to happen today? What's going to happen today?
What's going to happen today?"
Alex Legouix (23:58):
Oh.
Zara McDermott (23:59):
Even though, yeah, I won't lie, there are some lovely memories
that my favorite memories of having my mum there at school.
Alex Legouix (24:04):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (24:04):
And that's why I'm so close to her now.
Alex Legouix (24:06):
Thank goodness.
Zara McDermott (24:07):
Yeah, it was obviously hard for her, though, right?
Alex Legouix (24:10):
Mm.
Zara McDermott (24:10):
Because she's also, that's her job as well.
Alex Legouix (24:13):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (24:14):
I felt so bad, as well, at the time and
I felt like that was tough as well because that
was weighing on me too.
Alex Legouix (24:18):
I was going to say, you must have had that
additional pressure because it sounds like you're quite sensitive and
would've been conscious of what she was feeling.
Zara McDermott (24:25):
Yeah, absolutely. So don't get me wrong, I had some
lovely, wonderful memories there, and I ended up coming out
of school. Generally, this is so funny, because I didn't really
have that many friends, I ended up just studying so
hard and throwing myself into my education, that I came
out of school and I did really well. I was really happy with all
(24:46):
my grades and everything, but, obviously, that came at a price. Would
I go back in time and maybe rather get lower
less good grades and have a better experience overall? Absolutely.
Alex Legouix (24:57):
Right. Thank you for sharing that. A lot of people
go through some degree of bullying, but the impact that
that must have had on you is so significant.
Zara McDermott (25:06):
Yeah. It's made me who I am today.
Alex Legouix (25:09):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (25:10):
For my flaws as well. It's pretty much been the
biggest thing that shaped me, I think, aside from my
parents bringing me up. That's why I really, really have
such a passion, I think, for especially getting my documentaries
in schools and trying to support in any way I
can because I know how it feels to feel left
out, and to be going through stuff, and to be
(25:31):
dealing with so much. I know, I know firsthand how
that feels. I feel like I kind of experienced everything that was negative
at the time, like I went through it all.
Alex Legouix (25:41):
Do you think it helped you trust yourself? It sounds
like you spent quite a lot of time with yourself.
Zara McDermott (25:46):
Yeah. I'm very independent now. I have very, very, very close
relationship with my family, but in terms of self- sufficiency,
I love being on my own. I love spending time
on my own. So yeah, I think it does. I
think you're right. I've never thought about it that way,
but that kind of makes sense, actually, that that would
be like you learn to just be at one and
(26:06):
at peace with yourself earlier maybe than you should, but
it does help.
Alex Legouix (26:11):
Yeah. You were forced to be independent and resilient.
Zara McDermott (26:14):
Yeah. Exactly.
Alex Legouix (26:16):
The internet is a central character in all of your
stories, I mean, as it is in all of our
lives. But what do you think can be done to
halt the tides of horror and hate, which are allowed
to exist?
Zara McDermott (26:32):
For me, I think first things first, is when you
sign up to a social media account, like a lot
of accounts, it should be made a little bit more
difficult. You should have to jump through a few more
before you sign up for an Instagram account or a TikTok
account. You should have to maybe upload a copy of
your passport or a driving license or whatever it is.
(26:53):
You should have to input some kind of information to
prove your identity. And I think that that would help so
much in so many ways. I think because a massive
problem with the internet is lack of accountability for anything
that anyone does. The moment you start kind of de-
anonymizing people, I don't know if that's a word, de- anonymizing people, let's just say it is,
(27:15):
and making it so that you are traceable. I think
that that would change a lot. But the problem is
I think that that has to become a global thing
because the social media industry is far bigger than the
UK making a few laws.
Alex Legouix (27:30):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (27:30):
It doesn't change actually. This is a global platform, so
it would require a lot of people pulling together. And
I really hope that it's something that's being worked on,
but I think that that really would help in a
lot of ways.
Alex Legouix (27:42):
It would be huge, wouldn't it?
Zara McDermott (27:44):
Mm.
Alex Legouix (27:45):
I love that you are using your platform for such
good and educating people in the right way, though.
Zara McDermott (27:51):
Ah, I feel like I'm doing what needs to be done.
I feel like I am just telling people's stories and
I am less so, I suppose, proud of myself and
more so proud of the contributors that are in my
documentaries, and especially the really, really strong women who come
forward and share their stories with me and are brave.
(28:11):
It's bigger than just me, is what I say.
Alex Legouix (28:13):
Yeah. How do you go about deciding what deals and brands
you're going to push in front, I guess, for your
social media stuff?
Zara McDermott (28:24):
That's such a good question. So I'm very selective now
with what I do, and what jobs I take on.
I only work with a couple of brands, really, and brands I actually
use. So let's say a brand approached me and were like, "
We'd love to pay you X amount to do this
post," but I've never used the brand before. I would
instantly just say no because it's not authentic. I think
that nowadays people can tell if you don't actually use
(28:47):
the product, you don't actually like it.
Alex Legouix (28:47):
Yeah,
Zara McDermott (28:49):
And I am not like a money- driven person? For me, family
is the most important thing, not being rich, and not
having loads of designer handbags and stuff. So I'm not
really like a money chaser. I would rather just work
with a few brands and align myself with brands that I
love, that I use, that's authentic to me. And then
(29:10):
the rest, I'd just, yeah, it's mostly a no from me.
Alex Legouix (29:18):
Okay. Next up, we're off to Meadowside Road, but before we
get there, have you got any snacks with you?
Zara McDermott (29:26):
I do. I have two snacks with me.
Alex Legouix (29:29):
Now why did you choose these? So you've got...
Zara McDermott (29:32):
A Crunchie.
Alex Legouix (29:32):
I love it. I can't remember the last time I had a Crunchie.
Zara McDermott (29:36):
Do you know what? This is like my childhood. So
my dad used to, bless his heart, he used to
work a very stressful job. He was an operations servicing
manager and he used to race back to get to
see us just before we went to bed, and he
would bring us home treasure hunt, which was like basically he
(29:57):
would bring us back our favorite chocolate bars for me
and my brother and hide them somewhere in the house
and we'd have to find them.
Alex Legouix (30:03):
Aw.
Zara McDermott (30:04):
So this is kind of like a throwback snack for me, Crunchie.
Alex Legouix (30:06):
A nostalgic chocolate.
Zara McDermott (30:08):
Nostalgic chocolate. Because we're taking a trip down memory lane,
I felt like it was a good place to have
a Crunchie because it just reminds me of that sweet
taste of treasure hunt when you're five years old and
you've just found a chocolate bar hidden in the bookcase.
That was honestly, that was one of my most special
memories from my childhood. And then these, Go Ahead Bars,
just because I used to have them in my lunch
(30:28):
at school every day, and I used to eat them on
the way back from school because they weren't cool enough
for me to eat with my friends at school. I
always tried to get something from the cafe just to be like, "
Let's get some chips in the caf." But actually, I
did love my Go Ahead fibre bars and I would
wait until I got in the car on the way
home to eat it.
Alex Legouix (30:46):
That's-
Zara McDermott (30:47):
So yeah.
Alex Legouix (30:47):
I love the fact that you've opted for nostalgic snackage.
Zara McDermott (30:50):
I've got-
Alex Legouix (30:50):
Would you like to eat some of your-
Zara McDermott (30:52):
Yeah, I'm going to have some Crunchie, but you know
there's a special way to eat. Crunchie?
Alex Legouix (30:54):
Yeah. All right, I was going to say that.
Zara McDermott (30:57):
Bite the top off.
Alex Legouix (30:57):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (30:57):
Like this. Then we've got some chocolate. And then you have to bite the sides and make it
into a little honeycomb thing.
Alex Legouix (31:08):
Ah, yes.
Zara McDermott (31:11):
I made a mess of that already.
Alex Legouix (31:15):
So you mentioned your dad there, and, obviously, your mum
a few times.
Zara McDermott (31:21):
Mm- hmm.
Alex Legouix (31:21):
We heard from her earlier, but it seems like you
have a lovely relationship.
Zara McDermott (31:26):
My parents are genuinely my best friends. I love them
so much.
Alex Legouix (31:30):
Aw.
Zara McDermott (31:31):
I try and involve them in the weird, and crazy,
and wonderful things that I get to do sometimes with this
job. And I took my mum, actually, to meet the
Queen last week.
Alex Legouix (31:43):
Wow.
Zara McDermott (31:44):
It was just the most amazing thing ever. There was
a reception of Buckingham Palace for the Queen, Camilla. She
does her Wash Bag Incentive, which is, there's something called
a SARC, which is a Sexual Assault Referral Center, and
someone can go there if they've been assaulted and the
SARCs will provide people with a wash bag and it
(32:06):
was actually her idea.
Alex Legouix (32:08):
Oh, wow.
Zara McDermott (32:08):
Do this Wash Bag thing.
Alex Legouix (32:08):
Good initiative.
Zara McDermott (32:09):
It's a really good initiative to give someone something that they
can keep after they've been to sin, something that is
a little bit of positivity. So I took my mum
along to that and it was just incredible. We met
some amazing women, but I still look at her, and
I'm like, " I'm so inspired by you." Oh my gosh,
this is my old house. Just a moment. Stop. This one here.
Alex Legouix (32:31):
Wow. Right.
Zara McDermott (32:31):
See those hedges? We planted those hedges when I was
maybe four? Five?
Alex Legouix (32:37):
So they'd have been like little seedlings when you planted them-
Zara McDermott (32:41):
They were tiny, tiny hedges.
Alex Legouix (32:41):
... and now they're a couple of meters at most?
Zara McDermott (32:43):
Yeah. This pavement here was where I broke my toe.
Alex Legouix (32:46):
Oh.
Zara McDermott (32:46):
I was three years old. I remember my dad carrying
me out of the car because I dropped a paving slab on
my big toe when I was three.
Alex Legouix (32:52):
Oh, ha.
Zara McDermott (32:53):
It was hoo- ha- ha painful. I have quite a
few memories. I remember, you know I said I wanted to be
a midwife when I was younger?
Alex Legouix (32:58):
Mm.
Zara McDermott (32:59):
I remember being in that living room just forcing my
cousin to pretend to give birth to her baby doll
so I could assist with the birth. My mum would be like, "
What are you doing?" I'm like, "I'm making her give birth, okay? So I can
be a midwife."
Alex Legouix (33:13):
Oh, poor girl. So this is where the love of midwifery
began. I love it. You don't sound like you've come
from Essex.
Zara McDermott (33:23):
Yeah, only because I think from just spending so much
time with Sam, and with his family, his family are
very well- spoken, but I used to be a bit more
Essex. My friends talk like this, so them, they talk like this. Yeah. And I feel like, so posh.
Alex Legouix (33:41):
The next place that we are going to be heading
to is Upminster Station.
Zara McDermott (33:46):
Ooh.
Alex Legouix (33:47):
How often do you come back this way?
Zara McDermott (33:49):
I try and come back once a week if I
can, just to stay and see my mum and dad, have
dinner with them, see my grandparents who literally live across
the park, and, obviously, a lot of my friends are
in Upminster, Hornchurch. So I try and come back just
when I have a day or an evening where I
don't need to be back in West London by nine
(34:12):
o'clock in the morning, which I've made that mistake before.
And it takes longer than you think.
Alex Legouix (34:18):
What does Sam make of it around here?
Zara McDermott (34:21):
I don't think Sam could live here. I feel like Upminster's got
this kind of villagey vibe.
Alex Legouix (34:27):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (34:27):
Not used to Central.
Alex Legouix (34:28):
It must be so different living in West London.
Zara McDermott (34:32):
Do you know what? It's actually also a culture difference.
Alex Legouix (34:35):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (34:35):
There's a really big culture difference, like the fashion, and the
way people speak, and the terminology they use for certain
things. When I first moved there, I was like the Essex girl, but I
think you kind of adapt to it. But around there, it's all
like wellness, Pilates, and all of that kind of thing.
(34:58):
It's really like brunch spots and-
Alex Legouix (35:00):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (35:01):
It's different. It actually is, but it's not even that
far away.
Alex Legouix (35:06):
Which do you prefer?
Zara McDermott (35:09):
Oh, Upminster. Oh, I don't know. I don't know, actually. I don't know. Obviously-
Alex Legouix (35:12):
Sorry, Sam.
Zara McDermott (35:13):
Sorry, Sam. No. I obviously, I love West London. I do,
but I think this is where I grew up and
where my family are, so if I had to choose
somewhere to be in this present moment, of course I
would choose to be near my family and friends. But
it's lovely because actually my brother moved to Fulham about-
Alex Legouix (35:30):
Oh, that's nice.
Zara McDermott (35:30):
... about nine months ago? His girlfriend's actually from Norwich. They
were living up there for a year. So literally, they
are five minutes around the corner from me. We spend
so much time together, so in that way, I feel like
I'm converting people slowly and surely. Maybe I can get
my mom and dad over to Fulham because I do love
Fulham as well.
Alex Legouix (35:50):
Does Sam get on well with your brother? Do they
get on well?
Zara McDermott (35:53):
Yeah, really well. My brother and Sam see each other all the
time. Brad's always over at our house and he's great.
They get on so well. I'm very, very lucky that
they all get on. I mean, look, we're all so
lucky. I get on so well with Sam's sister. She's
basically my sister, and Sam's... So Louise's partner, Ryan, is literally
like my brother as well, and their little baby, who's
(36:17):
our nephew, is just like, we have such a special
bond as well. And then Sam gets on so well
with my brother and my brother's girlfriend. So we have
a little community of us.
Alex Legouix (36:27):
Yeah, that's nice.
Zara McDermott (36:27):
We're just like besties. It's great.
Alex Legouix (36:33):
So Upminster High Street, what significance is that for you?
Zara McDermott (36:38):
I mean, this is where I frequent when I'm back home. What
can I even say? That's my local nail salon when
I'm at home.
Alex Legouix (36:49):
Oh...
Zara McDermott (36:49):
L'amour.
Alex Legouix (36:49):
L'amour.
Zara McDermott (36:49):
Yeah. When I come back to Upminster, they're really good, actually. My grandparents actually lived literally, so
there's a little church here. They live just behind the church,
which is lovely. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (36:59):
Quite busy.
Zara McDermott (37:00):
It's nice.
Alex Legouix (37:00):
You worked here, did you, as well?
Zara McDermott (37:02):
Oh my gosh. I worked at a hairdressers down the road and I
also worked, I'll show you, it's not a clothes shop
anymore, but it was a clothes shop. So I used
to work in this little... Where that Anytime Fitness is
now used to be an M& Co. Have you ever
heard of M&Co?
Alex Legouix (37:18):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (37:19):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (37:20):
Well, they've shut down now, haven't they? Everywhere.
Zara McDermott (37:21):
Sad.
Alex Legouix (37:21):
We had one near me as well.
Zara McDermott (37:23):
Yeah, it shut down. But I used to work in there Saturdays and Sundays.
Alex Legouix (37:26):
So what's next then for you? What's the future of Zara?
Zara McDermott (37:31):
Well, I actually just launched my own clothing brand this
year, which is very exciting. I've been working on it for a couple of years.
I wanted to create something that was inspired by a lot of the
women that I work with and have met on my
documentaries, and also inspired by my family as well, trying
to find a destination where all of us can shop
(37:55):
at the same place, like my mom, my nan, my cousins,
younger friends, older friends, trying to create a brand that
felt like it looked good on everyone and there was
something for everyone.
Alex Legouix (38:04):
It's a shame we can't call it Zara, isn't it?
Zara McDermott (38:06):
It's a shame that one's already taken, sadly.
Alex Legouix (38:13):
Well...
Zara McDermott (38:14):
Is this where I leave you? Thank you so much
for having me.
Alex Legouix (38:18):
Thank you.
Zara McDermott (38:18):
This has been so much fun.
Alex Legouix (38:20):
Yeah, it's been amazing. Thank you for your honesty and-
Zara McDermott (38:23):
Aw, you're welcome.
Alex Legouix (38:24):
... for everything that you're doing for the younger generation.
It's so impactful and your passion shines through.
Zara McDermott (38:30):
Thank you so much. It was so lovely to chat for you.
Alex Legouix (38:33):
My pleasure.
Zara McDermott (38:33):
Thank you for being such a good listener. See you later.
Alex Legouix (38:36):
You take care. What a great insight into Zara's life
and the experiences which have made her into who she
is today. Thanks for joining us. Show On the Road
is a Fresh Air Production for Auto Trader. If you
enjoyed it and you want others to enjoy it too,
(38:58):
spread the word, please, by leaving a quick rating in
your podcast app and a nice little comment. You can
also subscribe to our YouTube channel where there's exclusive footage
of this drive. One of the best things about this
series is every person's story is so different and choosing
the vehicle you are going to start your next story
in could not be easier on Auto Trader. Thousands of
(39:20):
vehicles to choose from with expert reviews and videos to
help you pick, and loads of options to buy used,
new or lease so you get the best for you
each time. Find your next car and start your next
story on the Auto Trader app or at AutoTrader. co.
uk. In our next episode, one very famous singer will
(39:43):
be showing us around the streets, which have helped shaped
his life, sharing stories about many things including X Factor,
football, and fatherhood.
Speaker 5 (39:52):
I love how we're driving around at my local town in a Bentley and they're all like, " State
of this guy, thinks he's big- time Charlie." This is
what I try not to do when I drive around here.
Alex Legouix (40:02):
I'm Alex Legouix. Until next time, see ya.
I've not been around these roads in years. Where did
my love for TV begin? Where is it? Oh, this
is so fun. Then there it is. See? That's where I
started to be like, " Wow."
Alex Legouix (00:13):
What feelings are evoked?
Zara McDermott (00:15):
Fear.
Alex Legouix (00:17):
Really?
Zara McDermott (00:18):
Honesty. It really is.
Alex Legouix (00:24):
Welcome to Romford Town Centre for this episode of Show
On the Road with the very inspiring Zara McDermott. From
policy advisor at the Department for Education, to Love Island
and reality TV, Zara has explored a number of career
paths, all of which have led her to become the
media personality she is today. Brought to you by Auto
(00:46):
Trader, the UK's largest automotive platform. This is Show On
the Road, taking celebrities on a whistle- stop tour of
the places which helped shape them to discover the actual
real roads to their success. On today's road trip, we're
traveling with Zara to her hometown of Upminster, exploring the
(01:06):
minefields of influencer culture, her love of making TV, as well
as her passion for education. I'm Alex Legouix, about to
pull over in a Hyundai i10, a car she'll already
be very familiar with. And there is Zara.
Zara McDermott (01:27):
Hi. Thank you for picking me up from here.
Alex Legouix (01:31):
My absolute pleasure. In the Hyundai i10.
Zara McDermott (01:36):
I'm obsessed with this car. It's nostalgic for me. Brings
back good memories. I actually passed my test-
Alex Legouix (01:41):
Oh, did you?
Zara McDermott (01:41):
... in a Hyundai i10, yeah. In my mum's car, and we shared
it for a few years, yeah.
Alex Legouix (01:46):
Oh.
Zara McDermott (01:46):
So, yeah. Memories.
Alex Legouix (01:48):
Nice.
Zara McDermott (01:49):
I'm really excited. I'm sorry to make you come to
Romford to pick me up.
Alex Legouix (01:53):
I've never been to Romford.
Zara McDermott (01:54):
You've never been to Romford?
Alex Legouix (01:54):
I've obviously heard about it, seen a little bit of
TOWIE, all that sort of stuff, but I've never been.
Zara McDermott (02:00):
I love it because it's where I grew up.
Alex Legouix (02:02):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (02:02):
I've got so many lovely memories of coming here with my
friends. Went on a few dates at the bowling alley,
you know?
Alex Legouix (02:09):
Amazing.
Zara McDermott (02:10):
This is my get- up when I was younger.
Alex Legouix (02:12):
You happy? Should we get going?
Zara McDermott (02:13):
Yeah, let's get going. Oh, we're about to go past Atik.
Alex Legouix (02:22):
Oh, brilliant.
Zara McDermott (02:23):
Formerly Fiction.
Alex Legouix (02:24):
Okay. I guess, does that represent old you, or do
you still like clubbing?
Zara McDermott (02:28):
No, I do not like clubbing at all. And I never really
have. But Upminster where I grew up, it's almost like a
little village, and all of us would kind of do
the same thing on the weekends. We would go to
Romford and we would go to Yates. There was a
Yates bar and then we would go to Atik, which was Fiction, every
(02:49):
Saturday, really.
Alex Legouix (02:50):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (02:50):
Sometimes Friday and Saturday and it was just like the
done thing.
Alex Legouix (02:54):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (02:54):
So I would go there quite a lot with my friends and my
boyfriend at the time. We would go probably too much.
And I remember the sticky floors. I wonder what it
looks like now on the inside. I'd love to see.
Alex Legouix (03:06):
No, you definitely wouldn't. It would be gross.
Zara McDermott (03:07):
Where is it? Oh, this is so fun. Then there it is.
See? I've not really sold it very well, have I?
Look at it. It's just on a corner.
Alex Legouix (03:16):
Wow. I mean, yeah, it's not looking the most salubrious
of all places.
Zara McDermott (03:20):
It's not very luxurious.
Alex Legouix (03:20):
It's like a garage door. I quite like the graffiti that they've got up the top.
Zara McDermott (03:25):
Yeah, I mean it's really gives it some character, doesn't it?
Alex Legouix (03:27):
Yeah. Would there be a long queue out? Paint the
picture for me.
Zara McDermott (03:32):
It's half past 11. You've had a couple of drinks
in the bar across the road, and it's now time
to take on Fiction, and every time I'd go in,
the same song would be playing. It would be like the...
MUSIC (03:43):
House every weekend.
Zara McDermott (03:45):
You know that one? Every single... Every single time. But yeah, that's
like my late teenage years.
Alex Legouix (03:52):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (03:53):
It was a free for all as well trying to get taxis and stuff home afterwards.
But I have a lot of fond memories that I really enjoyed
myself in those years. I was very carefree and just
living my best life.
Alex Legouix (04:05):
What sort of teenager were you?
Zara McDermott (04:07):
I mean, look, I went through a lot of stuff when
I was at school, and it made me quite shy
and reserved, and I would kind of just go and
do the things I felt like I needed to do
at the time to kind of fit in. One of
those things was definitely going to that nightclub regularly with
my friends because I desperately wanted a group of people
(04:28):
to go out with because I never really had that
in school. And then I think when I got to about 18 and
I got my first job, I got an apprenticeship in
the government. I started to actually find my identity, come
out of my shell a bit, do more things, go
out with my friends. But yeah, when I was younger
I was a lot more reserved, I think, for sure. Oh my gosh, my
(04:50):
old orthodontist, where I got my braces done, is just around here.
Alex Legouix (04:53):
Ah.
Zara McDermott (04:53):
I've not been around these roads in, actually, years.
Alex Legouix (05:03):
I'd like to delve into the social media side a
little bit more later, but the other way that nightclubs
are significant in your story is, of course, they are
the lifeblood of Ibiza-
Zara McDermott (05:16):
Yes.
Alex Legouix (05:16):
... which is the focus of one of your many
very gritty documentaries that you've made.
Zara McDermott (05:21):
Thank you.
Alex Legouix (05:23):
Tell us a little bit about this journey that you've
been on, the journalistic side of yourself.
Zara McDermott (05:28):
Yeah, so I mean, what's weird, I was actually thinking
about this yesterday, like where did my love for TV
begin? And I remember my first TV experience was obviously
Love Island. I was more fascinated and more gripped by
the outsides of the villa, and how the production worked,
and how the gallery worked, and stuff like that as
(05:49):
opposed to being actually in there. That's where I started
to be like, " Wow," like, TV is really interesting and
you can tell a story and convey a message in
a really visual, creative way. So when I got approached
to create a kind of taste to take pilot of
my first film, which went on to be Revenge Porn,
(06:10):
I was like, " Okay, wow. I feel like I'm ready
to tell the story." And we started developing that in
May 2019. We had a commission by Christmas 2019, so
it took a while.
Alex Legouix (06:21):
Right.
Zara McDermott (06:22):
And then I've been making films literally ever since then.
That was like the coolest kind of Christmas present ever.
Alex Legouix (06:30):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (06:30):
But I don't think I really knew what I was fully getting myself in
for in terms of the emotional toll that it took
on me diving into my own story as well. It wasn't something
that I'd really explored. I was a victim for revenge
porn when I was 14, so going back in time
and going into that was really emotionally kind of like a
lot. But then it was the best thing that ever
(06:52):
happened to me as well because it led me to
become an actual documentary maker now, and I can't believe
I'm actually saying it because it doesn't sometimes feel real.
Alex Legouix (07:01):
What do you think that you've learnt over the time
then about journalism?
Zara McDermott (07:07):
I think that for me, it's been about learning so
much behind the scenes and not necessarily gloating to the world and being like, "
Guys, just to let you all know, I'm learning how to be
a producer. I'm learning how to use a camera, I'm
learning how to do this." But I do that all behind
the scenes and I do work really, really hard, you know?
Alex Legouix (07:25):
Mm-hmm.
Zara McDermott (07:25):
I develop my own films. I pitch them to my
team at the BBC. I go into the office and
do pre- production, help with casting some contribs, and I'm
doing my kind of independent training to actually be able
to be a proper journalist.
Alex Legouix (07:41):
Right.
Zara McDermott (07:41):
And it's taught me so much about journalism in terms
of how to make a good program, and how important
the edit is, and the production and taking care of
contributors, especially when you're talking about difficult subjects. But at
the same time it's also about earning your stripes, learning
your place.
Alex Legouix (07:57):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (07:58):
You don't get something for nothing, really. And I don't
take any of that for granted. I don't think just
because I may have a fair amount of followers on
Instagram does not mean that I'm any more entitled to
this job over someone else. So for me, it's about
proving myself in that sense and making sure I do the
groundwork as well.
Alex Legouix (08:15):
Yeah. Can you help us get to your first home?
Zara McDermott (08:23):
Yeah. So basically, if you go right, and then an
immediate left down that little side road, you can see that.
Alex Legouix (08:29):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (08:31):
God, I honestly have not been here in years. Ah.
Yeah, this is it. I need to call my mum and ask her which
number we lived at. I'm pretty sure it's like one
of these. I'm going to say it's that one, the
white one with the pillars outside.
Zara's Mom (08:46):
Hello.
Zara McDermott (08:50):
Hello. Just quickly, what number Westland Avenue did we live at?
Zara's Mom (08:53):
Number ( beep).
Zara McDermott (08:54):
Oh, I was right.
Alex Legouix (08:59):
You were right. Thanks, Mum.
Zara's Mom (08:59):
Yeah, we bought that. So it was a repossession. It was very run down. We just
did it up a bit and then lived there a
few years and moved to Upminster after that, didn't we?
Zara McDermott (09:06):
Yeah, I was actually only two when we moved out
of this one, so the memories are a little bit
hazy back then.
Alex Legouix (09:11):
Yeah, you're not expected to know about back then.
Zara's Mom (09:11):
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Zara McDermott (09:14):
Right. All good. Thanks, Mum.
Zara's Mom (09:16):
Oh, that's all right. Bye.
Zara McDermott (09:16):
Bye.
Zara's Mom (09:16):
Bye.
Alex Legouix (09:18):
I love that. So for our listeners, we are looking
at a two up, two down white house with these
slightly, slightly aged, over the top-
Zara McDermott (09:30):
Pillars.
Alex Legouix (09:30):
... pillars outside the front. Who did you live here
with then? Your parents and your brother?
Zara McDermott (09:35):
Just my mum and dad. So my brother wasn't born when
we lived in this house, but yeah, this is the
first house that I came home to.
Alex Legouix (09:42):
What have your mum and dad told you about you from
that period?
Zara McDermott (09:49):
I was a really irritating baby.
Alex Legouix (09:53):
Why?
Zara McDermott (09:53):
I had colic really bad. I still can't burp, you know?
Alex Legouix (09:56):
Oh, really?
Zara McDermott (09:57):
I physically, I have no ability to burp. And I
was very grisly and very kind of hard to please
baby. And then when she had my brother, she was like, "
Wow, this is what babies are supposed to be."
Alex Legouix (10:09):
How funny. Normally, it's the other way round.
Zara McDermott (10:11):
Yeah, I know. No, my brother was a little angel
compared to me. Obviously, I couldn't help it. I was obviously
in a lot of discomfort when I was a newborn,
but yeah, I was a bit of a nightmare, really.
I threw them in at the deep end.
Alex Legouix (10:22):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (10:23):
I was their test. That's what I think.
Alex Legouix (10:25):
So loads of us know you from Love Island.
Zara McDermott (10:29):
I wasn't very memorable in Love Island. I barely spoke. I had no
idea that there was something called an edit. I thought
that everything I did would be on TV. So I
would generally get up in the morning, take my mic
off and do 50 lengths in the pool.
Alex Legouix (10:44):
Oh, wow.
Zara McDermott (10:45):
Yeah, because I loved swimming. I was just doing my
swimming back and forth and I didn't really speak to
many people, and I didn't understand that people might not
like me, like people might think I was boring.
Alex Legouix (10:55):
Oh, right.
Zara McDermott (10:56):
I generally had no conception or understanding of how people
may perceive me. I had no worries about how people
would perceive me. I was the most naive person walking
into it. I think I'd honestly lived such a sheltered
life before and I just didn't really have a full
understanding of what I was doing. I didn't have a
(11:17):
game plan or anything. I was wandering around. As I
said, I was doing my lengths. I made myself some
breakfast, got myself a hot chocolate, was doing my makeup,
choosing my bikini. I literally thought I was on a holiday. I thought I was on holiday. I
was also very overwhelmed. I was a bit like, " This is a bit
weird." All these people, very big characters, and I'm not a
very big character. I'm quite reserved. So I didn't say
(11:39):
a word to anyone and they were all in the
gallery going, "Is she all right? Is she okay? Does anyone..." And then
I remember a producer came in and was like, " Are
you okay?" I was like, " Yeah, I'm fine. I'm absolutely fine,
thanks." And they're thinking, " She's not speaking. Why is she not speaking?"
Alex Legouix (11:54):
That's brilliant.
Zara McDermott (11:55):
It's funny.
Alex Legouix (11:55):
Because in hindsight, you must look back on that and
be like, " That's not going to make great TV."
Zara McDermott (12:00):
Exactly. To be honest, I really initially didn't want to
do it. I got scouted on Instagram, and I turned it
down, and then they were like, " Come in and do an interview." And I was thinking, "
Oh, there's no way they're going to want me." I'm
like a boring 21- year- old. I don't really go
out much. I work in the government. I'm very boring. I'm not
(12:22):
a big personality. I'm not a confrontational person at all. In
fact, if anyone confronts me with anything, I cry. There's
no way I'm going to be good television. I knew
it. They cast me anyway and I got it, and
I remember being like, " What? What? How? What? Why? How have
I got this? This is just impossible." And I kind of
went through the process because I thought, " There's no way
(12:42):
they're ever going to cast me." And then when I got the
call, I remember being like, " Oh, I actually have to do it now."
Alex Legouix (12:46):
Amazing.
Zara McDermott (12:46):
But yeah, it was crazy.
Alex Legouix (12:49):
You touched on just there what you were doing prior to
Love Island. So for those of you who don't know,
tell us a little bit more about what you were
doing before that.
Zara McDermott (12:58):
Yeah, so after I finished school, I didn't really want
to go to university. I got really good A- levels. So
I worked in climate change for two years and I
desperately wanted to go into education because I actually wanted to
be a primary school teacher. That was always my dream. And I was like, "
Maybe I'll give this apprenticeship a go and then I'll
(13:20):
see whether I still want to be a teacher." If I
maybe working in the policy behind the scenes part of education
will be where I'll find my feet and that part
of it, so where did I-
Alex Legouix (13:31):
Where did that belief in the education system come from?
Zara McDermott (13:35):
I wanted to be a midwife from, as one of
my first memories, is wanting to be a midwife. And
then I think when I grew older, I used to
volunteer in schools and help children who had slight learning difficulties.
So I used to go every couple of weeks and
spend a few hours in the local primary schools and
just help support the younger children who were struggling in
(13:58):
class, and I found a real fulfillment for that. I
absolutely loved it. I would literally be so excited to
go and help these children. And I realized I think I
had a bit of a gift of talking to children
and it made me realize I really want to work
in education. I would think I'd be a really good primary school
teacher. That's where I felt like everything worked for me.
(14:18):
So yeah, I kind of got myself into the education
side of things in policy in the government, but I
basically was so desperate to get into the department, that
I took any job. So I applied for so many
jobs in there and I ended up working on sick
forms, which wasn't where my passion was, which was for
primary education. But then I ended up getting my Love
(14:40):
Island offer.
Alex Legouix (14:40):
Oh.
Zara McDermott (14:40):
And I was like, " Oh, I'll take a career break for a year
and do that for a bit and then go back
to work," because I always knew that's what I wanted to
do, but it kind of didn't really work out like
that. And then obviously, I started making documentaries, so it
has never really stopped for me.
Alex Legouix (14:55):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (14:56):
I'm still on a career break.
Alex Legouix (14:57):
But you still do an awful lot of campaigning, don't you?
Zara McDermott (15:02):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (15:02):
So you still work with the government, right?
Zara McDermott (15:04):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what's amazing, actually, is the fact that
I still get to do a lot of this stuff
that I kind of dreamed of doing, like getting into schools,
and speaking to young people. It's not primary children, ages
four to kind of 11, which is where I really
wanted to be, but I actually think that where I'm
making the impact is actually where I was meant to
(15:25):
be all along. I did a school's tour with my
Disordered Eating documentary, and I did a tour where we
took along an expert in eating disorders from a charity,
and we would do a Q& A session with the students about
disordered eating. But all my documentaries, really, are being shown in
schools nowadays-
Alex Legouix (15:46):
So good.
Zara McDermott (15:46):
... which is incredible as part of the PSHE curriculum
and as part of PSHE lessons, which is just amazing.
I just never thought that this would be possible. So
in a way, I am teaching kids in schools, but
I'm kind of doing, I think, what I felt like I
was meant to be doing.
Alex Legouix (16:03):
And that part might just come further down the line.
Zara McDermott (16:05):
Exactly. I genuinely would love to be a primary school teacher
one day. I would love to.
Alex Legouix (16:10):
What other campaigns are you involved in? You seem to
be doing so much.
Zara McDermott (16:15):
I mean, honestly, I try to be involved anywhere that
I can, really, with any of the documentaries that I
make. I mean, my Revenge Porn documentary actually changed the
law on revenge porn, which was one of the biggest
achievements of my life. It was made illegal to threaten
(16:36):
to share images. So what would happen is someone would
go to the police and say, " Oh, my ex- boyfriend
or someone that I know is threatening to share these
images." And they'd be like, " Well, sorry, we can't do
anything until they've done it. Come back when they've done
it." And it's like the damage is done there. So
it's now illegal to actually make that threat.
Alex Legouix (16:51):
That's so good. So our next destination is Springfield Playgroup.
Zara McDermott (16:56):
It's my nursery.
Alex Legouix (16:57):
Your nursery.
Zara McDermott (16:57):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (16:57):
I don't obviously expect any wildly vivid memories.
Zara McDermott (17:02):
Oh, I have some. Honestly.
Alex Legouix (17:03):
Oh, do you?
Zara McDermott (17:03):
I really do. Yeah, because it's next door is our church.
We went to church here as well, so literally, the
little playgroup is just, it's a tiny little building.
Alex Legouix (17:14):
Here we are.
Zara McDermott (17:14):
But it's just there. Literally, that is where I went
to playgroup.
Alex Legouix (17:17):
And the school is essentially in the car park over there.
Zara McDermott (17:20):
It kind of is in the car park, yeah.
Alex Legouix (17:22):
And the church is, like, that's cool mosaic pattern on the outside, blues and whites.
Zara McDermott (17:30):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (17:30):
And then a brown brick building to the side of
it, which is where baby Zara went.
Zara McDermott (17:35):
Yeah, I have lovely memories from playgroup. I remember being
the angel in the nativity. And I remember my first
time being mean to someone in playgroup.
Alex Legouix (17:46):
Oh, do you?
Zara McDermott (17:46):
And I remember feeling-
Alex Legouix (17:46):
What did you do?
Zara McDermott (17:48):
I pushed someone down the slide, and I remember feeling
this, and I'd obviously never felt this emotion before - guilt.
This boy in my nursery, he was driving me insane.
He was shouting wanting me to play with him, and
he pushed in front of me on the slide, and
I pushed him down the slide - not hard. I just
been... Like that. And I remember being like, " Oh, I've
(18:09):
done something really wrong," and I reported myself to the teacher, and
that's one of my really vivid memories, is the first
feeling of guilt.
Alex Legouix (18:19):
Amazing.
Zara McDermott (18:19):
The first time I was like-
Alex Legouix (18:20):
And it's such a strong emotion as well.
Zara McDermott (18:22):
I know. Big memories. But yeah, so I have a lot of lovely memories. Actually,
funny story, our next house we moved into after Westland
Avenue, the first house we moved into was on Fairfield
Avenue, which is literally just down here, which we can
go to if you like.
Alex Legouix (18:36):
Okay.
Zara McDermott (18:37):
And we used to have still a cat called Max,
and he used to come on walks with us, so
when my mom would come and pick me and my brother
up from nursery, she would just walk down this road
and the cat would come with us.
Alex Legouix (18:49):
Oh, that's so cute.
Zara McDermott (18:50):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (18:51):
Yeah. You're a mad passionate cat lover, aren't you?
Zara McDermott (18:53):
I'm the craziest cat lady you may ever meet, and honestly, when
I'm older, I will have a cat sanctuary with all the
cats that no one wants, and it's all because of
Max. Yeah, it is honestly-
Alex Legouix (19:04):
Basically.
Zara McDermott (19:05):
It is all because of Max. This was the first
road that we moved to after Westland Avenue.
Alex Legouix (19:10):
So we need to turn right, do we?
Zara McDermott (19:10):
Yeah, we turn right down here. Fairfield Avenue.
Alex Legouix (19:15):
It's nice around here.
Zara McDermott (19:16):
Yeah, it's lovely around here. It is.
Alex Legouix (19:17):
I like all the white brick and the black beams. Is
that like Tudor?
Zara McDermott (19:23):
Yeah, it is, but it's the only cream house. Well,
it was the only cream house on this road.
Alex Legouix (19:27):
Oh, yes.
Zara McDermott (19:28):
Can you see it?
Alex Legouix (19:29):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (19:29):
That was... I'm going to send a photo to my mom. So
funny. Yeah, this is our house. We actually did all of this
renovation here, so it was actually a lot smaller. And
yeah, we loved this house. This is where most of my
childhood memories are in this house. And do you know what?
See those windows right there?
Alex Legouix (19:49):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (19:49):
In that room was where I first watched Strictly.
Alex Legouix (19:53):
Oh, really?
Zara McDermott (19:53):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (19:54):
Oh, wow.
Zara McDermott (19:54):
I first watched strictly with my nan, who's sadly passed away now,
and we would dance around that living room there.
Alex Legouix (20:02):
Oh.
Zara McDermott (20:02):
And that's where I remember being like, " I would love
to do Strictly."
Alex Legouix (20:06):
Aw.
Zara McDermott (20:06):
So whenever I think about that moment, it's in that
room there.
Alex Legouix (20:12):
Well, there's a lot of countryside, isn't there, actually around
here? And it's all starting to get a little bit leafier.
Zara McDermott (20:18):
Yes, it's nice. It's like a little countryside in almost
in London, you know?
Alex Legouix (20:23):
Yeah. Today we are driving a brand new Hyundai i10
in gray. Zara, you and your mom had one just
like this, didn't you?
Zara McDermott (20:34):
Literally, just like this. We had a gray one and
we also had a white one just before.
Alex Legouix (20:37):
Ah, okay. Well, I can tell you that gray is
the third most popular color for Hyundai i10s on Auto
Trader. So your mom had a white one as well.
Now do you think that that's more or less popular
than the gray?
Zara McDermott (20:51):
I think the gray would be more popular, to be honest.
Alex Legouix (20:53):
Okay. Well, I can tell you that white is actually
the most popular for the i10 on Auto Trader. If
you could go for another one, what color would you
pick now?
Zara McDermott (21:02):
I think I'd go for the gray still. I feel like
it's quite cute and understated.
Alex Legouix (21:07):
Yes. Good. Nice. I think I would go for the
polar opposite. I think I'd probably have it in a
bright yellow or something like that, personally.
Zara McDermott (21:15):
There is something quite cute about little cars in a
bright color.
Alex Legouix (21:18):
Yes, the pop.
Zara McDermott (21:19):
Yeah, love it.
Alex Legouix (21:20):
I agree. Now on Auto Trader, we have great deals on brand
new cars. So you can buy or lease a brand
new Hyundai i10 just like this one. Should we get on with the show?
Zara McDermott (21:32):
Let's do it.
Alex Legouix (21:35):
So this is Coopers' Company and Coborn School that we're
about to pass, right?
Zara McDermott (21:41):
Yes. A very-
Alex Legouix (21:42):
It's quite a name.
Zara McDermott (21:42):
It is a bit of a long name.
Alex Legouix (21:46):
And this is your secondary school, right?
Zara McDermott (21:47):
Yeah. Oh, could we drive in here? Oh.
Alex Legouix (21:51):
On the left we can see the big playing fields
and kids out there, poor guys having to run around in the rain.
Zara McDermott (21:57):
Yeah, run around in there.
Alex Legouix (21:59):
And then a rather large looking brown brick school.
Zara McDermott (22:04):
Yup.
Alex Legouix (22:05):
So what feelings are evoked when you look at the school?
Zara McDermott (22:09):
Fear.
Alex Legouix (22:10):
Really?
Zara McDermott (22:10):
Honestly, it really is. I was quite let down by
the school quite a lot through my teenage years. I
was bullied from when I was... I mean, in year seven,
there were so many instances that happened, but I remember being
mocked by my entire science class and this was in year seven,
so it was my form class, and they were making
(22:32):
really nasty gestures towards me all at the same time.
Thought it was really funny. My teacher didn't really do anything.
I would go in everyday just thinking, " What's it going
to be like today?" I mean, I got bullied up
until I was in year 13, so it was my
entire experience. There really wasn't a day where I didn't experience it.
I was still being bullied by a girl in my year.
(22:54):
She also had a lot going on at home in her
home life, but she bullied me so badly, and it
was really hard because my mum worked at the school as
well, and my mum worked in the food and textiles department,
so I used to go and eat my lunch with
her because I didn't really have any friends. And obviously,
I had the photo- shed round of me when I
was 14. And a lot of that came from not
(23:16):
wanting to be bullied anymore and thinking like, " Oh, maybe
if I share this photo, maybe if I do this for
this boy, maybe he'll like me.
Maybe I'll stop, the bullying will stop because if he
likes me and he's in the popular group, then they'll all
stop bullying me. And it was kind of that validation
that I was looking for that ended up kind of
ruining my life more than I've ever thought it could. And
(23:38):
then I ended up getting suspended from school. So when
it happened, the boy actually wasn't punished at all and
I was suspended and they called my family into their
headteacher's office. So when I kind of look at those school gates
now, I kind of remember that every day going in thinking, "
What's going to happen today? What's going to happen today?
What's going to happen today?"
Alex Legouix (23:58):
Oh.
Zara McDermott (23:59):
Even though, yeah, I won't lie, there are some lovely memories
that my favorite memories of having my mum there at school.
Alex Legouix (24:04):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (24:04):
And that's why I'm so close to her now.
Alex Legouix (24:06):
Thank goodness.
Zara McDermott (24:07):
Yeah, it was obviously hard for her, though, right?
Alex Legouix (24:10):
Mm.
Zara McDermott (24:10):
Because she's also, that's her job as well.
Alex Legouix (24:13):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (24:14):
I felt so bad, as well, at the time and
I felt like that was tough as well because that
was weighing on me too.
Alex Legouix (24:18):
I was going to say, you must have had that
additional pressure because it sounds like you're quite sensitive and
would've been conscious of what she was feeling.
Zara McDermott (24:25):
Yeah, absolutely. So don't get me wrong, I had some
lovely, wonderful memories there, and I ended up coming out
of school. Generally, this is so funny, because I didn't really
have that many friends, I ended up just studying so
hard and throwing myself into my education, that I came
out of school and I did really well. I was really happy with all
(24:46):
my grades and everything, but, obviously, that came at a price. Would
I go back in time and maybe rather get lower
less good grades and have a better experience overall? Absolutely.
Alex Legouix (24:57):
Right. Thank you for sharing that. A lot of people
go through some degree of bullying, but the impact that
that must have had on you is so significant.
Zara McDermott (25:06):
Yeah. It's made me who I am today.
Alex Legouix (25:09):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (25:10):
For my flaws as well. It's pretty much been the
biggest thing that shaped me, I think, aside from my
parents bringing me up. That's why I really, really have
such a passion, I think, for especially getting my documentaries
in schools and trying to support in any way I
can because I know how it feels to feel left
out, and to be going through stuff, and to be
(25:31):
dealing with so much. I know, I know firsthand how
that feels. I feel like I kind of experienced everything that was negative
at the time, like I went through it all.
Alex Legouix (25:41):
Do you think it helped you trust yourself? It sounds
like you spent quite a lot of time with yourself.
Zara McDermott (25:46):
Yeah. I'm very independent now. I have very, very, very close
relationship with my family, but in terms of self- sufficiency,
I love being on my own. I love spending time
on my own. So yeah, I think it does. I
think you're right. I've never thought about it that way,
but that kind of makes sense, actually, that that would
be like you learn to just be at one and
(26:06):
at peace with yourself earlier maybe than you should, but
it does help.
Alex Legouix (26:11):
Yeah. You were forced to be independent and resilient.
Zara McDermott (26:14):
Yeah. Exactly.
Alex Legouix (26:16):
The internet is a central character in all of your
stories, I mean, as it is in all of our
lives. But what do you think can be done to
halt the tides of horror and hate, which are allowed
to exist?
Zara McDermott (26:32):
For me, I think first things first, is when you
sign up to a social media account, like a lot
of accounts, it should be made a little bit more
difficult. You should have to jump through a few more
before you sign up for an Instagram account or a TikTok
account. You should have to maybe upload a copy of
your passport or a driving license or whatever it is.
(26:53):
You should have to input some kind of information to
prove your identity. And I think that that would help so
much in so many ways. I think because a massive
problem with the internet is lack of accountability for anything
that anyone does. The moment you start kind of de-
anonymizing people, I don't know if that's a word, de- anonymizing people, let's just say it is,
(27:15):
and making it so that you are traceable. I think
that that would change a lot. But the problem is
I think that that has to become a global thing
because the social media industry is far bigger than the
UK making a few laws.
Alex Legouix (27:30):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (27:30):
It doesn't change actually. This is a global platform, so
it would require a lot of people pulling together. And
I really hope that it's something that's being worked on,
but I think that that really would help in a
lot of ways.
Alex Legouix (27:42):
It would be huge, wouldn't it?
Zara McDermott (27:44):
Mm.
Alex Legouix (27:45):
I love that you are using your platform for such
good and educating people in the right way, though.
Zara McDermott (27:51):
Ah, I feel like I'm doing what needs to be done.
I feel like I am just telling people's stories and
I am less so, I suppose, proud of myself and
more so proud of the contributors that are in my
documentaries, and especially the really, really strong women who come
forward and share their stories with me and are brave.
(28:11):
It's bigger than just me, is what I say.
Alex Legouix (28:13):
Yeah. How do you go about deciding what deals and brands
you're going to push in front, I guess, for your
social media stuff?
Zara McDermott (28:24):
That's such a good question. So I'm very selective now
with what I do, and what jobs I take on.
I only work with a couple of brands, really, and brands I actually
use. So let's say a brand approached me and were like, "
We'd love to pay you X amount to do this
post," but I've never used the brand before. I would
instantly just say no because it's not authentic. I think
that nowadays people can tell if you don't actually use
(28:47):
the product, you don't actually like it.
Alex Legouix (28:47):
Yeah,
Zara McDermott (28:49):
And I am not like a money- driven person? For me, family
is the most important thing, not being rich, and not
having loads of designer handbags and stuff. So I'm not
really like a money chaser. I would rather just work
with a few brands and align myself with brands that I
love, that I use, that's authentic to me. And then
(29:10):
the rest, I'd just, yeah, it's mostly a no from me.
Alex Legouix (29:18):
Okay. Next up, we're off to Meadowside Road, but before we
get there, have you got any snacks with you?
Zara McDermott (29:26):
I do. I have two snacks with me.
Alex Legouix (29:29):
Now why did you choose these? So you've got...
Zara McDermott (29:32):
A Crunchie.
Alex Legouix (29:32):
I love it. I can't remember the last time I had a Crunchie.
Zara McDermott (29:36):
Do you know what? This is like my childhood. So
my dad used to, bless his heart, he used to
work a very stressful job. He was an operations servicing
manager and he used to race back to get to
see us just before we went to bed, and he
would bring us home treasure hunt, which was like basically he
(29:57):
would bring us back our favorite chocolate bars for me
and my brother and hide them somewhere in the house
and we'd have to find them.
Alex Legouix (30:03):
Aw.
Zara McDermott (30:04):
So this is kind of like a throwback snack for me, Crunchie.
Alex Legouix (30:06):
A nostalgic chocolate.
Zara McDermott (30:08):
Nostalgic chocolate. Because we're taking a trip down memory lane,
I felt like it was a good place to have
a Crunchie because it just reminds me of that sweet
taste of treasure hunt when you're five years old and
you've just found a chocolate bar hidden in the bookcase.
That was honestly, that was one of my most special
memories from my childhood. And then these, Go Ahead Bars,
just because I used to have them in my lunch
(30:28):
at school every day, and I used to eat them on
the way back from school because they weren't cool enough
for me to eat with my friends at school. I
always tried to get something from the cafe just to be like, "
Let's get some chips in the caf." But actually, I
did love my Go Ahead fibre bars and I would
wait until I got in the car on the way
home to eat it.
Alex Legouix (30:46):
That's-
Zara McDermott (30:47):
So yeah.
Alex Legouix (30:47):
I love the fact that you've opted for nostalgic snackage.
Zara McDermott (30:50):
I've got-
Alex Legouix (30:50):
Would you like to eat some of your-
Zara McDermott (30:52):
Yeah, I'm going to have some Crunchie, but you know
there's a special way to eat. Crunchie?
Alex Legouix (30:54):
Yeah. All right, I was going to say that.
Zara McDermott (30:57):
Bite the top off.
Alex Legouix (30:57):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (30:57):
Like this. Then we've got some chocolate. And then you have to bite the sides and make it
into a little honeycomb thing.
Alex Legouix (31:08):
Ah, yes.
Zara McDermott (31:11):
I made a mess of that already.
Alex Legouix (31:15):
So you mentioned your dad there, and, obviously, your mum
a few times.
Zara McDermott (31:21):
Mm- hmm.
Alex Legouix (31:21):
We heard from her earlier, but it seems like you
have a lovely relationship.
Zara McDermott (31:26):
My parents are genuinely my best friends. I love them
so much.
Alex Legouix (31:30):
Aw.
Zara McDermott (31:31):
I try and involve them in the weird, and crazy,
and wonderful things that I get to do sometimes with this
job. And I took my mum, actually, to meet the
Queen last week.
Alex Legouix (31:43):
Wow.
Zara McDermott (31:44):
It was just the most amazing thing ever. There was
a reception of Buckingham Palace for the Queen, Camilla. She
does her Wash Bag Incentive, which is, there's something called
a SARC, which is a Sexual Assault Referral Center, and
someone can go there if they've been assaulted and the
SARCs will provide people with a wash bag and it
(32:06):
was actually her idea.
Alex Legouix (32:08):
Oh, wow.
Zara McDermott (32:08):
Do this Wash Bag thing.
Alex Legouix (32:08):
Good initiative.
Zara McDermott (32:09):
It's a really good initiative to give someone something that they
can keep after they've been to sin, something that is
a little bit of positivity. So I took my mum
along to that and it was just incredible. We met
some amazing women, but I still look at her, and
I'm like, " I'm so inspired by you." Oh my gosh,
this is my old house. Just a moment. Stop. This one here.
Alex Legouix (32:31):
Wow. Right.
Zara McDermott (32:31):
See those hedges? We planted those hedges when I was
maybe four? Five?
Alex Legouix (32:37):
So they'd have been like little seedlings when you planted them-
Zara McDermott (32:41):
They were tiny, tiny hedges.
Alex Legouix (32:41):
... and now they're a couple of meters at most?
Zara McDermott (32:43):
Yeah. This pavement here was where I broke my toe.
Alex Legouix (32:46):
Oh.
Zara McDermott (32:46):
I was three years old. I remember my dad carrying
me out of the car because I dropped a paving slab on
my big toe when I was three.
Alex Legouix (32:52):
Oh, ha.
Zara McDermott (32:53):
It was hoo- ha- ha painful. I have quite a
few memories. I remember, you know I said I wanted to be
a midwife when I was younger?
Alex Legouix (32:58):
Mm.
Zara McDermott (32:59):
I remember being in that living room just forcing my
cousin to pretend to give birth to her baby doll
so I could assist with the birth. My mum would be like, "
What are you doing?" I'm like, "I'm making her give birth, okay? So I can
be a midwife."
Alex Legouix (33:13):
Oh, poor girl. So this is where the love of midwifery
began. I love it. You don't sound like you've come
from Essex.
Zara McDermott (33:23):
Yeah, only because I think from just spending so much
time with Sam, and with his family, his family are
very well- spoken, but I used to be a bit more
Essex. My friends talk like this, so them, they talk like this. Yeah. And I feel like, so posh.
Alex Legouix (33:41):
The next place that we are going to be heading
to is Upminster Station.
Zara McDermott (33:46):
Ooh.
Alex Legouix (33:47):
How often do you come back this way?
Zara McDermott (33:49):
I try and come back once a week if I
can, just to stay and see my mum and dad, have
dinner with them, see my grandparents who literally live across
the park, and, obviously, a lot of my friends are
in Upminster, Hornchurch. So I try and come back just
when I have a day or an evening where I
don't need to be back in West London by nine
(34:12):
o'clock in the morning, which I've made that mistake before.
And it takes longer than you think.
Alex Legouix (34:18):
What does Sam make of it around here?
Zara McDermott (34:21):
I don't think Sam could live here. I feel like Upminster's got
this kind of villagey vibe.
Alex Legouix (34:27):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (34:27):
Not used to Central.
Alex Legouix (34:28):
It must be so different living in West London.
Zara McDermott (34:32):
Do you know what? It's actually also a culture difference.
Alex Legouix (34:35):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (34:35):
There's a really big culture difference, like the fashion, and the
way people speak, and the terminology they use for certain
things. When I first moved there, I was like the Essex girl, but I
think you kind of adapt to it. But around there, it's all
like wellness, Pilates, and all of that kind of thing.
(34:58):
It's really like brunch spots and-
Alex Legouix (35:00):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (35:01):
It's different. It actually is, but it's not even that
far away.
Alex Legouix (35:06):
Which do you prefer?
Zara McDermott (35:09):
Oh, Upminster. Oh, I don't know. I don't know, actually. I don't know. Obviously-
Alex Legouix (35:12):
Sorry, Sam.
Zara McDermott (35:13):
Sorry, Sam. No. I obviously, I love West London. I do,
but I think this is where I grew up and
where my family are, so if I had to choose
somewhere to be in this present moment, of course I
would choose to be near my family and friends. But
it's lovely because actually my brother moved to Fulham about-
Alex Legouix (35:30):
Oh, that's nice.
Zara McDermott (35:30):
... about nine months ago? His girlfriend's actually from Norwich. They
were living up there for a year. So literally, they
are five minutes around the corner from me. We spend
so much time together, so in that way, I feel like
I'm converting people slowly and surely. Maybe I can get
my mom and dad over to Fulham because I do love
Fulham as well.
Alex Legouix (35:50):
Does Sam get on well with your brother? Do they
get on well?
Zara McDermott (35:53):
Yeah, really well. My brother and Sam see each other all the
time. Brad's always over at our house and he's great.
They get on so well. I'm very, very lucky that
they all get on. I mean, look, we're all so
lucky. I get on so well with Sam's sister. She's
basically my sister, and Sam's... So Louise's partner, Ryan, is literally
like my brother as well, and their little baby, who's
(36:17):
our nephew, is just like, we have such a special
bond as well. And then Sam gets on so well
with my brother and my brother's girlfriend. So we have
a little community of us.
Alex Legouix (36:27):
Yeah, that's nice.
Zara McDermott (36:27):
We're just like besties. It's great.
Alex Legouix (36:33):
So Upminster High Street, what significance is that for you?
Zara McDermott (36:38):
I mean, this is where I frequent when I'm back home. What
can I even say? That's my local nail salon when
I'm at home.
Alex Legouix (36:49):
Oh...
Zara McDermott (36:49):
L'amour.
Alex Legouix (36:49):
L'amour.
Zara McDermott (36:49):
Yeah. When I come back to Upminster, they're really good, actually. My grandparents actually lived literally, so
there's a little church here. They live just behind the church,
which is lovely. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (36:59):
Quite busy.
Zara McDermott (37:00):
It's nice.
Alex Legouix (37:00):
You worked here, did you, as well?
Zara McDermott (37:02):
Oh my gosh. I worked at a hairdressers down the road and I
also worked, I'll show you, it's not a clothes shop
anymore, but it was a clothes shop. So I used
to work in this little... Where that Anytime Fitness is
now used to be an M& Co. Have you ever
heard of M&Co?
Alex Legouix (37:18):
Yeah.
Zara McDermott (37:19):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (37:20):
Well, they've shut down now, haven't they? Everywhere.
Zara McDermott (37:21):
Sad.
Alex Legouix (37:21):
We had one near me as well.
Zara McDermott (37:23):
Yeah, it shut down. But I used to work in there Saturdays and Sundays.
Alex Legouix (37:26):
So what's next then for you? What's the future of Zara?
Zara McDermott (37:31):
Well, I actually just launched my own clothing brand this
year, which is very exciting. I've been working on it for a couple of years.
I wanted to create something that was inspired by a lot of the
women that I work with and have met on my
documentaries, and also inspired by my family as well, trying
to find a destination where all of us can shop
(37:55):
at the same place, like my mom, my nan, my cousins,
younger friends, older friends, trying to create a brand that
felt like it looked good on everyone and there was
something for everyone.
Alex Legouix (38:04):
It's a shame we can't call it Zara, isn't it?
Zara McDermott (38:06):
It's a shame that one's already taken, sadly.
Alex Legouix (38:13):
Well...
Zara McDermott (38:14):
Is this where I leave you? Thank you so much
for having me.
Alex Legouix (38:18):
Thank you.
Zara McDermott (38:18):
This has been so much fun.
Alex Legouix (38:20):
Yeah, it's been amazing. Thank you for your honesty and-
Zara McDermott (38:23):
Aw, you're welcome.
Alex Legouix (38:24):
... for everything that you're doing for the younger generation.
It's so impactful and your passion shines through.
Zara McDermott (38:30):
Thank you so much. It was so lovely to chat for you.
Alex Legouix (38:33):
My pleasure.
Zara McDermott (38:33):
Thank you for being such a good listener. See you later.
Alex Legouix (38:36):
You take care. What a great insight into Zara's life
and the experiences which have made her into who she
is today. Thanks for joining us. Show On the Road
is a Fresh Air Production for Auto Trader. If you
enjoyed it and you want others to enjoy it too,
(38:58):
spread the word, please, by leaving a quick rating in
your podcast app and a nice little comment. You can
also subscribe to our YouTube channel where there's exclusive footage
of this drive. One of the best things about this
series is every person's story is so different and choosing
the vehicle you are going to start your next story
in could not be easier on Auto Trader. Thousands of
(39:20):
vehicles to choose from with expert reviews and videos to
help you pick, and loads of options to buy used,
new or lease so you get the best for you
each time. Find your next car and start your next
story on the Auto Trader app or at AutoTrader. co.
uk. In our next episode, one very famous singer will
(39:43):
be showing us around the streets, which have helped shaped
his life, sharing stories about many things including X Factor,
football, and fatherhood.
Speaker 5 (39:52):
I love how we're driving around at my local town in a Bentley and they're all like, " State
of this guy, thinks he's big- time Charlie." This is
what I try not to do when I drive around here.
Alex Legouix (40:02):
I'm Alex Legouix. Until next time, see ya.
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