Lauren Marbe, 16, recently scored 161 on a Mensa test and expresses herself happy to shatter the stereotype of the typical “Essex girl”.
“I am blonde, I do wear make-up and I do go out.
“I love my fake tan and fake nails as well so I guess I am a bit of an Essex girl in that sense. I watch TOWIE and I love the programme, it’s addictive but now most people do seem to think that’s what everyone in Essex is like.
“I love living in Essex and I’m glad that I might be able to show people that we aren’t all ditzy and blonde.”
Maybe she can also show people that being a smart, talented, serious woman doesn’t mean you have to act serious all the time to be taken seriously.
Marbe’s immediate plans include taking A-levels in her exams, after which she will either study architecture at Cambridge or continue pursuing a career as a professional singer and dancer (she has already appeared in the chorus of a West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat).