Time to take stock of who we give our attention to

WITH the New Year comes a new wave of reality TV.

Celebrity Big Brother is the first of such to be inflicted upon us. I never understood the concept of Big Brother; watching people just sitting in a room. I found it mind numbing so the addition of the word ‘celebrity’ has done little to alter my opinion.

However what did catch my attention this year were the rumours of who would be entering the house.

I found myself getting annoyed at two in particular. The first was Michaella McCollum (pictured) and the second was Laura Simpson. One is a drug smuggler and the other is ‘famous’ for allowing footballer Wayne Rooney to drive her in her car after he had been drinking.

Really? This is what constitutes fame now? Years ago the title of celebrity was earned for having a talent, be it acting, singing or being an accomplished sportsperson and such like.

I remember a friend saying to me that the death of Princess Diana gave way to the modern wave of celebrity and I think this is true.

The most photographed woman in the world was gone and magazines and papers now needed something to fill their pages. Thus the rows, weight gain/ weight losses and love lives of famous people now took centre stage.

I will be the first to admit I have an interest in famous people, but famous people with a talent.

They are famous for their achievements, not for who they bedded or the crimes they have committed.

The focus on Michaella McCollum in particular really gets under my skin. Here is a person who knowingly smuggled drugs, and I don’t buy the whole ‘she was young and naive’ line.

We were all young and naive and maybe we drank too much or liked the wrong fellas, we didn’t smuggle drugs.

If she were a middle aged Irish man or woman I doubt she would garner the same forgiveness or sympathy.

If someone has a drug addict in their life or has lost someone to drugs I doubt they have any admiration for her because she has a good figure and has had some major styling since her release.

Likewise this Laura Simpson decided to tell the world of her time with Wayne Rooney.

He is another story, but she didn’t really care about the effect on his pregnant wife (don’t get me started on her) or his sons who will be reading of daddy’s exploits in years to come.

She just chose to make some money off it and unfortunately the public have allowed her to do that.

The whole world of celebrity was once a glamorous world that we admired and some aspire to. Now I think it has become something gritty and dark.

They say everything comes full circle, I hope before my kids reach the age of copying their idols, we will have returned to the bright lights and have left the ‘fake’ celebrities back in the gutter where they belong.