Sophie Monk recalls living in LA as ‘soul destroying’

Chatting on Jessica Rowe’s new podcast, Sophie Monk explains how she was called the “chubby one” in Bardot, and how awful living in LA was.

Appearing on Jessica Rowe’s latest podcast episode of ‘The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show’, Sophie Monk opened up about her past insecurities, and the hell she went through when living in LA.

Rowe quickly acknowledged that from a very young age, straight out of high school, Monk was thrown into the spotlight.

After auditioning on the television show Pop Stars, Monk had to manage her sexy bombshell image while still being really quite young.

Sophie Monk called living in LA for ten years ‘soul-destroying’. Picture: Supplied

“I was extremely insecure because naturally as a person I’m, like, very overly sensitive,” Monk admitted. “So back then I was super sensitive and people would call me in Bardot ‘the chubby one’.”

“The chubby one!” Rowe exclaimed, incredulous.

“Yeah, because I was curvy, I had boobs. The girls were tiny. But that was the fashion then.” added Monk.

“It was encouraged, not directly, to be straight up and down. So I was very self-conscious. Living in LA for ten years, and then coming back to set up here is the best thing I’ve ever done,” she added.

“From an outsider I read it to be so glamorous and amazing, but it’s not is it?” asked Jess.

Monk replied, “Everyone does what you do … it’s not healthy being in one environment like that when everyone wants the same thing, it’s superficial.”

“And soul destroying?” asked Rowe.

Jessica Rowe had Sophie Monk on her new podcast. Picture: Richard Dobson

“For me it was. I think other people can hack it. I wasn’t strong enough. I’m too sensitive,” Monk replied.

She explained that hearing constant ‘no’s’ from auditions was hard for her and she was unsure how other people just “kept going”.

“It hurt my feelings all the time, getting rejected. Sometimes it was for the way you looked. That was tough. It hurt my soul. I found it very stressful emotionally, and lonely. It wasn’t for me,” Monk said.

The star also admitted that she has suffered from anxiety and ADD (attention deficit disorder) from a very young age.

Now, being back in Australia, her personal and professional life are thriving. Monk got engaged to her partner Joshua Gross in January, and hosts two huge reality shows Love Island and Beauty and the Geek.

Originally published as Sophie Monk recalls living in LA as ‘soul destroying’