Alli’s fans to get a reality check
GLAMOROUS Gold Coast influencer, actor and singer Alli Simpson says she exposed her “raw and vulnerable” side during her time on reality-TV show I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!
“I cried a lot on the show and none of us are wearing makeup or had anything but the bare essentials … so I feel it’s going to be really good for Australia to see the more vulnerable side of me,” she said. “Instagram is not what it looks like to people and you don’t wake up looking glamorous. I think it’s important for people to know you aren’t always living the high life and that people can be dealing with internal and personal struggles.”
The 22-year-old Mermaid Beach woman joined the show, filmed in Murwillumbah instead of usual location Africa, on Tuesday night. Simpson, who has 1.2 million Instagram followers, has lived on the Gold Coast since she finished an acting gig in Los Angeles in early 2020. She was living in the US with her musician-turned-swimmer brother Cody Simpson, who recently qualified for the Australian Olympic trials after just five months of training.
“You can only be the best you, and that’s something Cody and I dealt with a lot moving to Los Angeles as 13-yearolds — with people telling you how to look, that you need to lose weight and then getting backlash online at a young age.
“It’s the same as being bullied at school but on a bigger scale.
“If I get new followers on my platforms as a result of the show then I know it’s people that have seen that raw, honest side of me and that will be so awesome.”
Simpson said she didn’t jump at the chance at being plunged into the wilderness without a scrap of makeup or any creature comforts and knew the experience would be “terrifying”.
“My biggest fears are cockroaches, spiders and any type of insect. I can’t even be in the same room as a single cockroach. My family couldn’t believe I was about to do it, especially Cody who said, ‘who are you?’.”
One of the most traumatic experiences she faced was having thousands of worms and crickets poured on her head.
“I faced my fears and had an amazing time. The benefits definitely outweighed my fears.”
Simpson’s time on the set raised money and awareness for The Gold Coast Project for Homeless Youth Inc.
The organisation’s vice-president Jamie Preston said support from a highprofile figure such as Simpson came at a vital time for the organisation as it continued its mission to create a holistic approach to resolving youth homelessness in the Gold Coast region.
Simpson is now getting back into surfing with the help of her partner.
“I’ve always been a water baby and there’s no better feeling than being back in touch with the ocean,” she said.
“I’m also loving being back with my childhood friends and when I go walking around Nobbys or Burleigh Heads I literally run into people I haven’t seen in years.”
IT’S THE SAME AS BEING BULLIED AT SCHOOL BUT ON A BIGGER SCALE ALLI SIMPSON