Diagnosed with Aspergers at 14 and severely bullied throughout her childhood, Notts TV went to meet a Gamston girl who is now supporting others with the condition.
Lauren Lovejoy looks like any other 25 year old woman but she has Aspergers syndrome – a condition on the autism spectrum that is characterised by significant difficulties in conforming to accepted social interaction and non verbal communication, as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests.
From an early age Lauren was noticed for being different and she found herself the victim of bullies – with devastating physical affects.
One time she was lured into the school field by a group of girls where they blindfolded her and then repeatedly kicked a football at her face – leaving her with a broken nose. In the end Lauren was moved to a different school because of the bullying.
“I did have to take time out of school for a while as I was depressed and suicidal,” she says.
“I was different to everyone else and I did come across as different, I just didn’t fit in with the world.”
Video: Lauren to Notts TV presenter, Nicola Beswick about her school troubles.
Turning her life around
Despite this, last year Lauren found the courage to audition for ITV’s national talent show, The X Factor.
Lauren – who got round to the boot camp stages of the singing contest – has always had a love of singing.
The 25-year-old shocked the judges when she delivered a strong performance of Peggy Lee’s ‘Why don’t you do right?’
She said that she got through the auditions by likening the judges to animals – a trait that many people with Aspergers find comforting. Lauren says she pictured Simon Cowell as a lion breaking out of a cage and Louis Walsh as a seal.
“I would like everyone to know that I do have Aspergers and I would like to inspire other people with the condition to know that you can achieve what ever you want in life regardless whether you have a disability,” adds Lauren.
Video: Lauren speaks about how she sees people as animals.
Not only is Lauren a singer who produces her own music videos, she is also an ambassador for the National Autistic society. She wants to raise as much awareness as possible for the condition.
“I think everyday should be raising awareness not just for one week.”
“Everyday living with Autism is like being a warrior because we have to work that extra hard but at the same time we can do it and we are our own super heroes. Despite our condition, we really can do anything.”
Lauren loves singing and she hopes that she can use her talent to also raise awareness and inspire people with Aspergers to pursue any dreams they may have.
Video: Lauren performing her own version of ‘Moonraker’
