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| Michelle with Nina Nannar (ITV News) - Full Interview |
| Michelle: It honestly is a dream come true and it's very surreal as well, because I'm popping into all these studios where of course I'm a viewer at home. You know I love GMTV, Des and Mel, This Morning all these kind of things and I watch the programs from home and then I find myself sitting in the studio and I'm thinking "should I not be on the other side watching in, as opposed to kind of looking out?". It's been a great experience, it really has. Each place that I go to everyone's just so lovely and so welcoming. |
| Nina: How does it all strike you when you walk into these studios, because obviously a few weeks ago you were a viewer…just a viewer? |
| Michelle: Yeah, what strikes me the most is how small the studios are. I mean you walk in and I'm thinking 'Oh my…uh…uh' (Michelle makes with a few 'shocked' expressions). And you know what was so fascinating this morning…I mean this is how naïve I am, watching the weather girl, I can't remember the lady's name but she was doing the weather this morning, you know, the blue screen and she's just looking to the camera and she knows where to point and I'm going (makes curious face) …you know kind of looking. It was just, honest I was a wee kid this morning let loose in the studio it was fantastic. |
| Nina: And how are you doing with sleep? |
| Michelle: I'm up to about three hours so far in the last three days, which averages obviously an hour a day…so thank god for make-up artists that's all I'll say. |
| Nina: You have been the front cover of every paper since Saturday night, you're still in the papers. How are you finding that, you and your family…that you are in the papers every day? |
| Michelle: Erm, I mean for me, I mean of course you never get used to these things, I don't want to say I'm used to it now but I'm learning to deal with it an awful lot better erm, now as opposed to when I first entered the competition. I think my family are still struggling with it, because of course they're not media trained. My parents try to do everything the right way and the media are obviously pressing my family for comments and pictures and everything else. My mum's just finding it quite difficult at the moment, trying to be as polite as possible but obviously not getting into any kind of discussions with them. But they're doing great and you know, they know…they know the situation. Our lives have all changed dramatically and for the better really and it's just something that we will deal with and move on with as a family. |
| Nina: Obviously the street where the family live is changed slightly as well. |
| Michelle: Yes, that's right; they've practically spray painted the whole street. I'm waiting for Glasgow city council to come and arrest someone for the damage that's been caused up and down the streets! But the neighbours have been fantastic. I mean, we're a very close knit community and the neighbours have just been so supportive. You know I was really killing myself laughing. I've got a little dog "Bonnie"…Scottish name…but I've got a little dog called Bonnie and they put a 'Vote Michelle' T-shirt on the dog!...and the dog's just sitting on the doorstep… 'Vote Michelle' T-shirt! (Michelle laughs incredulously!) |
| Nina: When you ring home and your mum gives you updates of what's happening there…because as you say 'life has changed' back home in Glasgow as well for your family, what sort of things does she she say are going on there? |
| Michelle: My mum is just so fantastic, she'll be like "Well I was down at the shops today and I was walking up and I met so-and-so and you know I was telling her about this…" She just talks about normal life, y'know she'll tell me…my mum's a great one for giving me a step-by-step of her day. She'll tell me she got out of bed, she went downstairs…she's got 4 kids, y'know she's so busy. Erm they just tell me everyone's asking for me and all the funny things that have happened. |
| Nina: What about the Media Presence? |
| Michelle: Erm, you know she'll give me an update on what's happening. She panics sometimes; she'll phone me and say "Oh did I say the right thing? Did I do the right thing?" and I just always tell her "Look mum, just y'know don't worry about it. Just go out and just go on with what you're doing." Erm, I think she's starting to cope with it a lot better now as well. |
| Nina: And what did she say…15 press cars? |
| Michelle: Yea, there was like 15 press cars or something outside the house…and mum was like "Oh we're barricaded in, we can't get out!" I said mum you can go out. You just go out the door, just don't worry about a thing, just take your time…but they understand, they know what's happening. |
| Nina: Now you've been universally accepted, welcomed as the pop idol. Last year of course it was Will and Gareth and opinions were divided about which of them should have won….which one was the pop idol. But people seem to generally be of the opinion that you were the rightful winner, that you are the pop idol. What do you think about that? |
| Michelle: Erm, it's a great compliment you know, but I really feel that Mark (Rhodes), he really was fantastic on the night and I think it went right to the wire for Mark and I and I think everyone will be quite shocked to see the results that come out, I mean I know I'm looking forward to seeing them, in terms of the percentage of the phone votes. But I can guarantee it's really neck and neck. It's just a bit…you know he's the Yummie Brummie isn't he? That's thanks to Foxy…but he is, he's such a lovely guy and you know I think "She's Like The Wind" I'd defy any female out there who didn't go…(gasps)… heartstrings being pulled…he was fantastic. |
| Nina: And what about what's written about you now, people always continue to talk about image. They are talking about the voice now as well though aren't they? |
| Michelle: Well it's lovely to see the voice starting to come through now because you know obviously a lot of my headlines have just been dominated by the fact of my image and I don't look a pop idol…which is fine…with every new piece that I read I accept it and deal with it and just kind of move on. But it's nice to see now that people are starting to say you know "Michelle's fantastic rendition of …" and they will somewhere…they'll maybe dedicate 3 lines to my voice, which is quite nice because it's a start! So 3 might multiply to 9, might multiply to a whole paragraph and then hopefully, as the voice increases the weight and the image thing will decrease and that'll be nice. But even if it doesn't you know I'll continue just to cope with it as I have been the whole way through. |
| Nina: What about the claims that the music industry image makers have already started their work with the front cover of the single? |
| Michelle: (laughs) With the tooth! Do you know I woke up this morning and I looked at the paper and I was thinking "God there's so much they could say about me. I've just won one of the biggest contests in the world and someone somewere sat down and looked at that picture, went 'Oh I think that' tooth's moved a couple of inches there, I think we'll write a paragraph.'" Erm, I mean it's a lot of rubbish, I mean the picture…I know my own mouth and I know my own teeth, you know, and I've looked at the picture. It's just been taken from a different angle. You know but I'll tell you, it's nice that they want to write about it anyway. I was quite flattered. |
| Nina: People are going to be watching you all the time. You know if you become blonde or do something very, very radical with your image, people are going to say automatically 'that's the music industry moving in and trying to make her into a conventional pop idol'. |
| Michelle: Absolutely, and I think my response would be: If I change it's going to be for me. I'm a very strong person, you know and I'm very…I think what people don't actually get about me is I'm just happy with me. I'm not happy because I'm big, I'm not happy because you know I've got brown hair…if I want to go blonde…you know just like any woman, if I want to change my hair colour I'll change my hair colour. If I want to lose another bit of weight I will lose weight, if I want to get my tooth fixed I'll fix my tooth…If I want to go out and buy myself a couple of diamond earrings I'll do that as well. What I'm saying is I'm in control of everything I do. I won't change for anyone, that's a guarantee. But I'm not going to feel pressured. You know, if I want to change I'm not going to feel that I can't change now because I'm trapped into looking a certain way…I am who I am. If I want to change I'm going to change, like everyone else in the world. No-one stays the same, I look back at pictures of myself 3 years ago and go "Oooh god! Where was that hairdo from?" |
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