Mount Gambier Library will host reality TV star Alisha Aitken-Radburn with her highly anticipated memoir The Villain Edit next week.
Ms Aitken-Radburn is a former government staffer who appeared on both The Bachelor and The Bachelor in Paradise – twice.
In 2018 she was working as the media advisor for former National Disability Insurance Scheme Minister Bill Shorten, when she applied for the Channel 10 reality show The Bachelor, competing for the affection of former Australian rugby star Nick Cummins, known as The Honey Badger.
Although Ms Aitken-Radburn went into the experiment with hopes of finding love, things quickly turned south as did the aftermath of her time on the reality show.
Ms Aitken-Radburn was given the ‘villain edit’ on her first season of The Bachelor, although she was not entirely surprised, after all, there are only a handful of character troupes producers can manipulate into storylines.
The backlash on social media was unexpectedly intense and Alisha found her sense of identity completely rocked by a single comment “You are a bad person!”.
Determined to shake the villain label, she returned to reality TV screens in The Bachelor in Paradise and was given a completely different edit.
This time, she was met with praise and empathy, and her portrayal led to a third and final season, where she met the man she would marry.
The Villain Edit follows Ms Aitken-Radburn’s journey through the smoke-and-mirrors world of politics, reality TV and social media.
Navigating the secrets, lies and hard truths that are laced through even the most fairy tale of endings, it reveals how the perception of others can rewrite the story of who we think we are, and how important it is to know when to go off script and take control of the narrative.
The free in-conversation event will be held on August 31 at 7pm and Ms Aitken-Radburn will take questions from the audience – no topic is off limit.
Bookings are available by contacting the Mount Gambier Library on 8721 2540 or book online at www.mountgambier.sa.gov.au/library under ‘Programs and Events’.
