The Voice's Lauren: Im happy in my own skin

The Voice singer tells SHARI NEMENTZIK why her unusual looks are a blessing in disguise.

Lauren Dawes hasn’t always been comfortable with the shade of her skin, but these days, the singer celebrates her striking features. “Being an albino has really worked in my favour in the entertainment industry, because I have that edge that a lot of people haven’t seen before,” the 29-year-old, a new recruit to Team Seal, tells Woman’s Day. “I want to portray it as a positive thing and I’d love for everybody to know what albinism is – that it really doesn’t change the person, just the superficial look.”

Growing up, Lauren was at the mercy of school bullies. “They used to say, ‘Look at you, you’re albino,’” she says. “But I kept a positive attitude. I turned it around and said, ‘At least I don’t look like everybody else – it’s boring!’” That inner-confidence would be crucial living on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. “The one thing everyone does with their friends is go to the beach, and I never could because my skin would burn so quickly. “As an albino, I have no pigment in my skin to stop me burning. I was always self-conscious, because I had to cover up more than anyone else. I hated it.”

Thanks to her older sister Carlie, 35, who’s also an albino, Lauren wears her pale skin with pride. “Carlie would always say, ‘Who cares what other people think?.’” Lauren and mum-of-two Carlie have two other siblings – Melissa, 31, and Brenton, 39 – who aren’t albinos. Their parents, Jackie, 59, and Ray, 67, have been towers of strength to their blue-eyed girls.

“They’ve never said I can’t do anything because of my albinism,” explains Lauren. “They would never treat Carlie and me any different to Melissa and Brenton, but if we needed things done for us, they’d help us.”