Page 24 - Exercise 1A

Page 24 - Exercise 1A

Fame

Three years ago, Mason Macdonald was a successful contestant on the Desert Island reality TV show. Millions of people watched him and the other seven contestants as they tried to survive on the famous island for six weeks.

Before he went to the island, good-looking Mason was a teacher in a school in Manchester. He shared a flat with two friends. However, in the last three years, his life has changed a lot. ‘At first, it was really exciting,’ he says. ‘I did a lot of interviews for newspapers and celebrity magazines.

Whenever I opened a newspaper, I saw my picture.

People recognized me in the street and I signed a lot of autographs. I went to a lot of parties and had a fantastic holiday in Australia, too.

It was great. I really enjoyed all the fame and the excitement, but there were difficulties, too. After a while, photographers started to follow me and my

friend everywhere. One Sunday morning, someone knocked on my door. It was quite early and I was still in bed. I opened the door in my pyjamas and there was a photographer there. I was very angry, so I grabbed his camera and threw it across the street.

Well, he called the police and then the newspapers were full of the story. ‘Police arrest Desert Island Mason.’ It wasn’t true. The police didn’t arrest me.

They just asked some questions and I paid for a new camera. That’s the danger when you’re famous. You lose a lot of your freedom.’ After that, things became quieter, but Mason didn’t want to go back to his life in Manchester. He’s lived in London for two years now and has worked for a radio station for over a year. He’s still famous, but photographers haven’t followed him for a longtime. ‘I’ve been very lucky,’ he says. ‘And I’ve really enjoyed my success.’ What about the future? ‘Well, my friend and I are getting married in three months. I’m very happy about that. As for a job, I’ve enjoyed my work, but in the future, I’d really like to be a game show host on TV and write a book, too.’