For many celebrity-turned-reality stars, the transition to hyper-accessibility can have embarrassing unintended consequences — Jessica Simpson’s famous Chicken of the Sea, anyone? — but “American Idol” star Fantasia Barrino says she has nothing to hide on her own new reality show, “Fantasia for Real.”
“My life has always been an open book,” says the singer, whose autobiography was turned into a Lifetime movie, “Life Is Not A Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story,” in which Barrino played herself.
“There were a lot of things that happened, and some things went downhill,” Barrino continues, referencing her highly publicized absences from performing as Celie in “The Color Purple” on Broadway. Barrino had a tumor on her vocal chords and was absent from 50 performances for treatment. “I’m going to be that girl that goes through things and uses it as a testimony to show people that I’m human and I go through situations but I never give up the fight.”
Aside from contending with the challenges of putting out a new album and going back to school (Barrino famously admitted in her memoir that she was functionally illiterate), “Fantasia For Real” takes a look at Barrino’s family of six, whom she supports single-handedly.
“I want to give too much,” Barrino says, admitting she has spoiled her siblings. “I created that monster.”
