Featured Image Credit: TLC
Emily Brown
Reality TV fans have been left stunned and impressed after learning what Alana Thompson, the viral star of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, is up to more than a decade after the show aired on TLC.
Thompson was only seven years old when she appeared on her own reality TV show, which documented her life as a child beauty pageant contestant.
The show ran for two seasons before coming to an end in 2013, and now 12 years later fans are still keen to hear updates on Thompson's life.
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Luckily, Thompson delivered in a new interview with People released this week, in which she looked back on her career as a child star and offered insight to her life as the 19-year-old woman she's since grown into.
During the chat, Thompson admitted that while a lot of people might 'think' they know her, there's actually a lot that goes on 'behind the scenes'.
She made clear she's 'thankful' for her time on TV because it opened up a lot of opportunities for her, and while there are some parts of her life she wishes had been more private, the former child star is thankful people can connect with her.
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Thompson then went on to reveal what she's up to now, explaining she's started to explore the medical field.
She said: "I really do like being able to be the person of like, 'Oh well her life is just like mine'. Like 'Honey Boo is just like me'. That's so crazy and I like for people not to feel alone.
"Right now I am a nursing student in college in Denver. I'm 19, I'm just living my best life and like, I'm just chilling, you know."
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Thompson, who has 'always wanted to be a nurse', went on to say she 'studies a lot' and spends a lot of her time at home or in the library, adding: "Literally my whole life is study, study, study."
"To be a college student means a lot to me," she added. "When I graduate college I will be the first one in our family to have an actual college degree."
Thompson's life update has prompted praise from viewers, with one writing: "When she said she’ll be the first one to have a college degree in her family really moved me. So happy for her. We’re all cheering you on, girl."
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Another added: "She seems kind, forgiving, hard-working, and determined. She's gonna be an amazing nurse."
Thompson's interview comes as she prepares to tell her own story in the new Lifetime biopic I Was Honey Boo Boo, premiering May 17.