The Sydney Morning Herald
Huxleys tell of ‘beautiful Lauren’Huxleys tell of ‘beautiful Lauren’
Bellinda Kontominas neverseentheallegedattackerbeforetheassault.life for
anorexiaAnd how about work? You were studying marketing
at TAFE, right?
Yeah. I started working part-time at a travel
agent, and then in 2010 I started working at a
finance company.So much of your life was put on hold, for a long time.
How hard is it for you to put the past in the past, and
move on from that?
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have bad days, but...
I’m a positive person. I truly don’t dwell on the
past. I always remember that there’s someone
who has it worse than me. I mean, I have my limbs,
my eyesight, I can walk and talk and eat. I can do
so much stuff that the doctors told my
parents I’d never be able to do.I’ve read that you’ve said that one of
life’s greatest pleasures is doing
something people tell you is
impossible. Do you stand behind that?
Yeah, absolutely! Doctors said I wouldn’t
live and I have. Then they said I wouldn’t
walk or talk or be able to feed myself.
They said I wouldn’t be able to drive
again. That was one of the hardest
things. I was back to being an L-plater.
Luckily I got in just before they made
you do 120 hours of driving, not 80! I had about 30
instructors, I think. Everyone was determined to
help me. But it was about independence. I needed it.And obviously you’re not just walking – you go to
the gym a lot, right?
I’m a bootcamp fan. I’ve always loved exercise- I was so happy to get back into it.
Lauren made
headlines as
the country
followed her
recovery.Lauren and her family
at the sentencing
of her attacker.Your sister, who was 21 when the attack occurred,
is your best friend. Has your relationship changed?
Yeah. Simone and I have always been really close.
When you look at family photos, it’s always me and
Sim. We’re still really close. Sim is a mum now [to
Scarlett, 2] and so I’m an aunty. And that has made
our relationship stronger. I love being an aunty,
and I feel so lucky that we all live close enough
that we see each other so often.And what about your parents? Have they been able
to move on as well as you have?
I know this sounds a bit selfish, but I’ve really just
been focusing on myself, and sorting out what I’m
going to do in my life. I think that’s helped me to
carry on. I haven’t really had the headspace to think
about how other people have coped.One thing that struck me about your case was that
your attacker, Robert Black Farmer, was out on parole.
We’ve had cases recently, like Jill Meagher’s murder
and the Sydney Siege, where the criminals were out
on parole when they committed attacks. How does
it feel to know the system has let down someone else?
It makes me really angry. I just think, when is it
going to stop? And really, compared with other
crimes, I had a lucky outcome. It’s awful to think
of women like Jill Meagher who weren’t as lucky.How do you feel with the anniversary coming up?
Well, I do wonder when the attention will end.
I’m not someone who likes being in the spotlight,
and I didn’t ask for any of this. But I understand that
people want to know what happened and that’s OK.
A journalist wrote a book about the case a few years
ago and I haven’t read it. I read a page or two but
it was too hard – I didn’t want to go back there.
My sister says the attention will probably go away
after I’ve got married and had a baby.Is that something you want?
Yeah, definitely. I’m dating someone now. He’s
sweet, we’ve been on a few holidays together.Do you think you’ll celebrate 10 years of survival?
I think so. It’s almost harder for me
because I don’t remember much of it. But
it’s a celebration for all of us: Mum and
Dad, Sim, my friends, everyone who was
there when it happened, and who has helped
me get to this point. Because I’m OK. #58 COSMOPOLITAN.com.au TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 136 116
I ALWAYS
REMEMBER
THERE’S
SOMEONE
WHO HAS IT
WORSE
THAN ME ...
I CAN WALK
AND TALK
AND EAT
Huxleys tell of ‘beautiful Lauren’Huxleys tell of ‘beautiful Lauren’
neverseentheallegedattackerbeforetheassault.cosmo exclusive
LAUREN WEARSDRESS BY PASDUCHAS. SHOES BY WITTNER. NEWSPIX‘‘
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