In the past year, the stars of the MTV show The Hills have endured deteriorating friendships, jealousy, boy drama, catfights and even a nationally televised runway tumble. But none of the on-camera turmoil could compare to the drama that star Lauren Conrad has faced since the cameras stopped rolling a little over a month ago.

The reality show's second season ended with Conrad's roommate, Heidi Montag, moving out of their shared apartment to get a condo with her much-reviled boyfriend, Spencer Pratt. Since then, the relationship between the former best friends has disappeared faster than Courtney Love's waistline. Montag and Pratt were even implicated in leaking a recent PerezHilton.com blog item about a sex tape featuring Conrad and her ex-boyfriend, Laguna Beach star Jason Wahler. (Montag has vehemently denied any connection to the leak, telling Us Weekly, "It's outrageous and inappropriate.") Still, it hasn't stopped the pair from waging war with Conrad in the media, lobbing insults via the glossies (in that same Us Weekly article, Pratt boasts that Conrad "couldn't get into clubs before she met us!")

"It's pretty hurtful when people use your misfortune to get press," says Conrad, looking casual chic in a downtown Toronto restaurant while promoting the Canadian broadcast of The Hills with co-stars Whitney Port and Audrina Patridge.

Despite the evaporation of Conrad's relationship with her former BFF — "I don't associate with them," she says — the reality TV star refuses to dwell on the negative aspects of her burgeoning fame.

"I have great family and friends that love me and know what really happens, and that's all that matters," Conrad shrugs. "People are always going to make up talk, so you really just can't let it phase you. I mean, it obviously hurts and it’s really hard to deal with, but I've kind of learned to let it go."

It's a lesson hard-earned by Conrad, who was the breakout star of MTV's Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, a reality show dedicated to the lives of spoiled rich kids growing up in one of America's most affluent neighborhoods. As one of the only characters seemingly uninterested in backstabbing friends or racking up charges on daddy's credit cards, Conrad quickly became a fan favourite and secured her own spin-off. The Hills follows Conrad's move from her parents' pad in Laguna to a swank condo in the Hollywood Hills, where she's striking out on her own and attempting to parlay an internship at Teen Vogue into a lasting career in the fashion industry.

So, how much of what we see on TV represents the real Lauren Conrad?

"I think I come out pretty normal," says Conrad. "But I think I behave a little more on camera. When fans come up to you, a lot of them are little girls and that's a really good reminder that you are responsible for what kids are looking up to. You don't want some of your behaviour – that may be acceptable for a 21 year old – to been seen as cool by younger girls."

Even Conrad's quiet, hard-working Teen Vogue co-worker, Port, admits to modifying her behaviour when the cameras are around.

"I think I'm, like, weirdly honest with people, and I don't really do that on camera," she admits with a shy smile.

"Oh, Whitney's really funny," Conrad laughs, turning to her fellow intern. "You don't really realize what you're saying. Some of the stuff you say, I'm like, 'Did that just come out of her mouth?' And Audrina, she's got a little bit of a wild child side that never really comes out. She's really sweet and she's one of the nicest people, but when you piss her off, when you do something to one of her friends…"

"It triggers something in me. I'll fight back," Patridge interrupts with a mischievous grin.

"She's thrown a drink in a girl's face," Conrad continues, giggling at the memory. "She got up and chased her out. They had it on camera and they didn't even use it!"

For now, the girls are free to embrace their wild sides, since they are currently enjoying a brief respite from the cameras before shooting resumes this summer for Season 3. But they've learned that tensions can erupt long after filming takes place. Since cameras follow Conrad, Patridge, Port and Montag separately, capturing private conversations the others aren't privy to, many huge revelations aren't revealed until the cast sits down to watch the episodes. Such was the case in Season 2, when Conrad's childhood friend, Jen Bunney, betrayed her by kissing the guy she liked. Conrad quickly banished Bunney from her life and assumed the drama had passed, until she watched the episode and saw that Montag had actively encouraged the hook-up.

"The thing is, I had no idea. I completely put all the blame on Jen because Heidi had never given me a reason not to believe her," remembers Conrad. "But when that episode came out … well, I think it was probably good that me and Heidi had kind of grown apart quite a bit, because at the end of that episode, I was shaking. I was so mad."

The tension between the best-friends-turned-rivals is sure to be a major plot point in Season 3, but for now, the girls are spending their hiatus focusing on acting classes, clothing lines and staying out of the tabloids – not that they're uninterested in what's being written about them. When a new Us Weekly blog item on Conrad's recent night out at Hollywood hot spot Les Deux is mentioned, the bubbly façade momentarily drops as she narrows her eyes and whispers, "What did it say?" Upon hearing that she was allegedly grinding up against a "muscle-bound" mystery man to make ex-boyfriend and fellow guest Brody Jenner jealous, she breaks into peels of laughter, explaining, "That was Frankie! I was just dancing with my best friend."

"Seriously, it's so weird," giggles Patridge. "We go out and we don't realize that people are constantly watching you, what you do, what you say, who you're dancing with."

But, like dealing with former friends who've taken to dissing you in the press, the girls have realized it's just easier to let it go.

"You know what?" Patrige asks. "It's karma. Lauren's the bigger person."

"They keep telling me 'take the high road,'" Conrad sighs. "I'm like, 'I am so sick of the high road.'"

Source: dose.ca

posted by Lysandra @ 9:44 PM