Lauren Conrad vulnerable in early shows

Lauren Conrad was "vulnerable" when she starred in 'Laguna Beach' and 'The Hills'.

The 25-year-old fashion designer has admitted that appearing on the reality shows between 2004 and 2009 was "hard" because everything about her was scrutinised at such a young age.

She said: "I was 17 when I signed on to 'Laguna Beach', and that's a vulnerable age anyway. I was still figuring out who I was. To be on television and told a million things that are wrong with you was hard, but I very quickly decided that I just had to be me."

Lauren found it just as difficult when she appeared in the following spin-off 'The Hills' alongside Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt and was "tired" of scrutiny of her appearance overshadowing her work.

She explained in an interview with Allure magazine: "Towards the end, I was so tired. I was showing up to the club in flip-flops, and [the cameramen] would be like, 'Great, now we can't film your feet, because you couldn't bother putting on a pair of shoes,' "

"It wasn't 'Lauren Debuts Her Line'; it was 'Lauren Debuts a Fuller Figure,' and I was like, 'Oh, no!' because I'd put on a few pounds."

Lauren would also sometime cringe when she watched her antics back on screen.

She said: "I was always a little bit embarrassed when I would be drunk on camera."