4 Reading practice

The price of fame

A Leo
 O’King became a celebrity when he came second and with psychologists who make sure you are strong
on New Top Executive, which was a popular reality enough as a person to handle media criticism. Shows
TV programme that aimed to find talented young like New Top Executive, which put ordinary people in
people who were good in the world of business. the spotlight, are often blamed for using people and
Two summers ago, the programme was shown on a not supporting them. But that wasn’t my experience.
satellite channel twice a week and attracted a huge The people I worked with were always supportive.’
audience. The success of the show made Leo famous
C ‘What I didn’t expect was the level of intrusion.
and he landed a great, well-paid job because of it.
Tabloid journalists, who will do anything for a story,
The problem for Leo was that his private life came
contacted everyone who had known me as a teenager
under scrutiny from tabloid newspapers. For a while
and printed stories about my life as a young person.
he was on the front page week in, week out. When
I found life difficult when I was 15. A lot of things
I met him at the apartment where he now lives
happened which I am embarrassed about. I was
with two friends in west London, I asked him how
arrested by the police for stealing, for example. It was
difficult it had been to deal with the media intrusion.
awful to read stories about my life in the press, and to
B ‘Well,’ he says. ‘I can’t say I hadn’t been warned. know that all my friends now knew things about me
Before you appear on the show, you talk to experts which I had never told them.’
who advise you on how to deal with the paparazzi,

Remember! 3 Read the text and choose the best answers.

Key sentences summarize the main idea of the text. 1 In what way was Leo successful because of New Top
Executive?
1 Find the key sentences in each paragraph and a) He has become a TV celebrity presenter.
match them with the paraphrases below. b) He was well-paid for being on the show.
1 I hadn’t imagined that the press would be so c) He got a very good job afterwards.
interested in my past.
d) He won the talent competition.
2 There were problems attached to participating.
2 What does Leo say about the level of support from the
3 People often say that reality shows don’t prepare makers of New Top Executive?
the participants for life after the programme.
a) They didn’t warn him about media intrusion.
2 Read the text. Are the sentences true or false? b) They suggested ways of managing photographers.
Quote words from the text to support your c) They didn’t talk to him to find out if he could
answers. handle media criticism.
1 Leo went on a reality TV show which was looking for d) They gave expert advice on what to do when
talented young performers. T/F appearing on the show.

4 Find words in the text that mean …
2 There were a lot of stories about Leo in the tabloids.
1 got / found (a job). (paragraph A)
T/F

2 close investigation. (paragraph A)
3 Leo thinks that the makers of New Top Executive didn’t
give him enough support. T/F
3 helpful. (paragraph B)

4 taking things which aren’t yours. (paragraph C)

58 Photocopiable Text Award © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012. This page may be photocopied for use in class.

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