Lauren Harries

Lauren Charlotte Harries (formerly James Charles Harries born 1978 in Surrey, England), is a British media personality.

Biography

The son of Mark Harries, who had worked in the hotel business and catering trade,citeweb|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,472608,00.html|title=Just call me Lauren|author=Seaton, matt|publisher=The Guardian|date=2001-04-13|accessdate=2008-08-26] James was the youngest of three brothers with one younger sister. The family moved to Cardiff when James was still a baby. From the age of five, Harries enjoyed art and antiques, and had an ability to spot bargains at local car boot sales and secondhand shops. He spotted a piece of porcelain which he bought for pennies and sold for several thousand pounds, a story picked up by the "Western Mail."

Child career

Encouraged by his family to appear in the media, Harries first television appearance was on Terry Wogan's UK chat show, "Wogan." The twelve-year-old boy demonstrated what seemed to be a knowledge of antiques which, combined with a striking appearance including bow ties, hair in thick golden curls, formal attire and a precocious manner of speaking which made him memorable to British viewers.

James's father Mark was running a Kissogram business, but after James's appearance on "Wogan" Mark supported the story that James should be considered to be an antiques expert, [citeweb|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/lauren-harries-the-boy-in-the-madeup-world-681220.html|title=Lauren Harries: The boy in the made-up world|date=2001-04-13|author=Julia Stuart|publisher=The Independent|accessdate=2008-04-13] and resultantly from the business opportunities offered the family opened an antiques shop and florists.

However, as the young James grew the media opportunities and resulting business reduced, and his schooling suffered from the heightened publicity. His family worked hard to keep the businesses, but during the recession of the early 1990s after a fire at one of the properties owned by the Harries family which housed a costume hire business, Mark Harries was jailed for three years on charges of filing a false insurance claim, and as a result all the Harries family businesses failed.

exual reassignment

Having been taken as a child to see a doctor about his female mannerisms, James soon after his father's conviction decide to change his name to Lauren and explore sex reassignment surgery, which he undertook in 2001, [citeweb|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4218250.stm|title=Transsexual to move to 'safer' LA|date=2005-09-06|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=2008-04-13] paid for by publicity arranged by Max Clifford.

On July 8, 2005, a gang of five to seven men attacked Lauren, her father and her brother. [cite web |url=http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=15731614&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=sex-change-ex-child-star-in-brutal-attack-name_page.html |title=Sex change ex-child star in brutal attacked |date=2005-07-13 |publisher=icWales |author=Anna Hammond |accessdate=2007-04-04] One 17 year old boy was later fined and given a supervision order for his role in the incident. [cite web |url=http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=16149951&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=youth-who-attacked-transsexual-spared-jail--name_page.html |title=Youth who attacked transsexual spared jail |date=2005-09-19 |author=Gareth Llewellyn |publisher=icWales |accessdate=2007-04-04]

Later career

In 2004, after Harries had changed gender, Channel 4 broadcast a documentary "Little Lady Fauntleroy" made by actor Keith Allen in which he interviewed the Harries family. [citeweb|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article1075617.ece|title=TV Review|date=2004-06-29|author=Joe Joseph|publisher=Times Online|accessdate=2008-04-13] [citeweb|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/archive/2004/06/28/switched-on-antiques-fraud-show-89520-14372129/|title=Switched On: Antiques Fraud Show|date=2004-06-28|author=Jill Foster|publisher=Mirror.co.uk|accessdate=2008-04-13] The documentary was then released on 4 July 2005 as a commercial DVD.

In October 2006, Harries appeared in a Five television series "Trust Me...I'm A Beauty Therapist", [citeweb|url=http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/whats-on/tm_headline=sweet-link-for-sexy-welshies&method=full&objectid=17935198&siteid=50082-name_page.html|title=Sweet link for sexy Welshies|date=2006-10-15|author=Rachel Mainwaring|publisher=icWales|accessdate=2008-04-13] which was filmed on location in a beauty therapists in Swansea, Wales. In August 2007, Harries launched her and her family's website, which charges to view a fly-on-the-wall vlog of herself and her family.

In 2005, she appeared on "Big Brother's Big Mouth" to discuss the contestants on "Big Brother", [citeweb|url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/B/bb6/news/newsstorya86a.html?id=1610|title=Big Mouth Tonight|publisher=channel4.com|accessdate=2008-04-13] [citeweb|url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/B/bb6/news/newsstory8a40.html?id=576|title=Shout, Shout|publisher=channel4.com|accessdate=2008-04-13] and in 2007 it was rumoured in the national press that she would participate as a contestant on "Celebrity Big Brother". [citeweb|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/bigbrother.html?in_article_id=426175&in_page_id=1894|title=Host of mystery stars prepare to enter the Big Brother house tonight|date=2007-01-03|publisher=Daily Mail|accessdate=2008-04-13] However, she threatened to pull out unless she was able to bring medical supplies she has needed to use since her gender reassignment surgery, [citeweb|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-29092583_ITM|title=Lauren is very un-nappy|date=2007-01-02|publication=Europe Intelligence Wire|accessdate=2008-04-13] and eventually did not enter the house.

Harries is now an artist, who has converted to Buddhism. In March 2008 it was reported that Harries was getting her own television show where she will undertake various unpleasant challenges. [cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a90900/lauren-harries-lands-own-tv-show.html |title=TV Show news report |date=2008-03-06 |author=Beth Hilton |publication= Digital Spy |accessdate=2008-03-06]

References

External links

* [http://www.bizarremag.com/entertainment/interviews/2475/lauren_harries.html Lauren Harries] - interviewed by James Doorne for "Bizarre" magazine (October 2005)
* [http://www.tongs.org.uk/wiki.pl?JamesHarries Lauren Harries on the Tongs Wiki]