Carrie Hope Fletcher
Social media is all about presenting the happiest, most positive version of yourself to the world. I'm here to say that we all have bad days and that it's easy to feel isolated - but the truth is that beneath the sassy facade all girls suffer from the same insecurities.Collection: Positive
I may weep inconsolably when I hold a copy of 'All I Know Now' for the first time. I just hope that everyone who reads it enjoys it and finds some comfort in knowing that the journey through the 'teen age' is difficult for all of us and they're definitely not alone.Collection: Teen
I wore out the VHS of the 'Les Mis' 10th anniversary. Lea Salonga played a big part in my childhood; I was very influenced by her Eponine.Collection: Anniversary
It's hard to explain where ideas come from. They're an amalgamation of a million thoughts, dreams and sparks of imagination and it's difficult to pinpoint the exact moment of conception.Collection: Dreams
I've always said I want to have a book with my name on it in the shops one day, so to have that actually happen is beyond exciting to me!
Girls are worried about the same things: loneliness, falling out with friends, the pain of being excluded, another girl trying to poach their best friend, and worrying about how to make friends or keep friends.
A cast mate once told me having a YouTube channel was cheating.
I first picked up a camera when I was like 19 because I was unemployed and starting to get bored, and I was like 'right, what can I do?' And vlogging was just the thing that was on the rise, so I was like, 'let's give that a go,' and luckily it turned out very well.
It is really important for young girls to see a more natural shape on stage and not your supermodel sizes - seeing someone the same size as them.
I don't think it was ever a conscious decision to go into musical theatre. It just felt like the natural progression.
There's so much more to family than what you're born into.
There is a certain limitlessness to children's novels. You can be as fun and imaginative and creative as you want and your audience is going to believe it because they still have that huge imagination.
Children don't have to suspend disbelief like adults do... their brains can take in whatever crazy magical ideas you throw at them.
I didn't have the best time at primary school so reading a book was my way of getting away from whatever was upsetting me.
Performing and creativity were the only things I was truly passionate about.
It was a very normal working-class family. My dad used to play guitar in a band around pubs and clubs and stuff, so we've always been surrounded by music and we all love musicals. There was really no escape from it as a child. It just manifested itself in me and my brother in that we want to be actors.
I've been very lucky to have worked in theatre all my life.
I was very nervous about everything. I was the girl who would burst into tears at the drop of a hat.
I really hope post-Covid no one asks me when I'm going to get a real job again.
The mark of a good agent is someone who you feel is on your side, fighting your corner.
Good people can make bad decisions and bad people can be redeemable and that is an important message for teenagers.
I think that is why this is an important show for teenagers to see because the important thing about 'Heathers' is that nothing is black and white, and it takes those grey areas and really explores them and really delves in their intricacies.
There are more ways to bully each other now with the Internet but there are also more ways to talk about it and more people that you can reach and more connections to be made over the Internet.
Things might change in the sense the world has progressed and we now have social media and other ways to bully each other, but at the heart of everything the problems are all still the same. Things I went through, my mum went through when she was a teenager and her mum went through when she was a teenager, and so on and so forth.
I had a difficult start to secondary school, missing the first month because of 'Mary Poppins.' Everyone knew who I was, who my brother was - McFly were huge by then - and had made their mind up about me. One girl made everyone's life a misery, picking on insecurities. But that's just teenagers.
I have so much fun writing for children.
I think the main thing is to continue being true to myself. I'll never do anything just to cater or pander to the audience I have. I need to be 100% behind it too. Otherwise it's completely pointless.
All the roles I've played have a very special place in my heart.
I love sharing anything I'm passionate about.
I grew up with these amazing shows, like 'Les Mis,' 'Phantom,' 'Joseph,' 'Wicked,' and if I ever had the chance to work with an established composer on a new piece, that would be a real honour.
I write books and songs and all sorts of bits and pieces on the side. It's important to have that creative outlet - I'm really passionate about it.
Well, I really enjoyed drama classes at school, but I left at 16 and started writing a musical with my brother. Because of that I missed out on going to college in general - it was take that chance or not and maybe miss out on something incredible.
When I was younger and I did West End shows like 'Les Mis,' 'Mary Poppins' and 'Chitty,' I was blissfully ignorant - it was amazing to be a part of, but I didn't realise the scale of it all and how important a role it would play in my life when I grew up. It was just a fun thing I'd do every couple of days.
Being alone on stage without a character to hide behind has always terrified me but I've always been one for facing my fears.
I've been part of shows that are long runners, and they're much more rigid. You get told, 'This is where the character stands, and this is how you say that line because we know it gets a laugh.'
There is something about a live performance that you just cannot replicate anywhere else. Live streaming has been wonderful but it's just not same as sitting there and experiencing that electricity, with a group of other people that you don't even know and all being brought together.
We're human - sometimes we just say stupid things.
I'm not nervous being in front of people, it's being myself in front of people that I hate.
I've got a bit of a fear of being bored.
When I started, YouTube had only been around over a decade, which is just seconds in the grand scheme of things.
I used to be terrible at understanding what the boundaries are and where YouTube ended. You can feel exposed online with literally the entire world watching you, but it is an amazing platform.
I've found during the times when I've gone through several rounds of auditions that they have really taken pains to consider me, and that makes an enormous difference.
I've been writing ever since I was a child: I used to give my English teacher extra homework and say, 'What do you think of it? Give me a mark.'
Using social media alongside my acting career has worked wonders on both ends.
Casting someone capable of the job who also happens to put bums on seats has always been invaluable to a producer.
I was acting long before I began making videos on YouTube. But without the platform, would people have paid attention to what I had to offer in quite the same way? I don't think they would have and I think what we pay attention to now has been shaped by social media.
Of course, I can only speak from my own experience but creating my social media side hustle is one of my happiest accidents. Whilst it can be a bit of a minefield with its lack of rules, its giant grey areas and its many, many trolls, I couldn't be more grateful for the positives it has sent my way.
I always think with new musicals, buying tickets is always a gamble.
My motto is you should never take criticism from people you would never go to for advice.
I've grown a thick skin.