Interview - Jay (Geordie Shore)

We spoke to Jay Gardner aka Jay from Geordie Shore about how life has changed since joining the MTV hit show and his new range of tanning products JAYTAN, read the interview here...

Hi Jay, how's life changed for you over the past few years since you joined Geordie Shore?

I can’t even begin to describe the change in my life. You’ve got to bear in mind that before Geordie Shore I was just a typical lad hitting the gym going out and doing what any normal lad would. I was a surveyor doing a 9 till 5 which I hated and always said to myself I can’t do this for the rest of my life.. Geordie Shore couldn’t have come along at a better time for me. I used to watch Jersey Shore and always said,  “that’s for me” and I could do exactly what these lot are doing. Cut a long story short the change in my life came when leaving the house on the final day of the first series. We got our phones back and MTV told us “ok this is it…your in the papers the magazines and you are about to go on MTV in a few weeks. Basically your lives are about to change.” Guess what,  it did, and changed a lot more then I thought. My first night out in Newcastle after the show I was being asked for picture after picture and I didn’t really know how to take it all in. As the show went on I became more recognised and no matter where I go pictures are just a normal part of my life now. I could be doing shopping in Tesco and someone would tweet a picture of me shopping. It’s nuts. That’s just in the UK, Geordie Shore is now in 25 countries. If I enter those countries it’s the same. I went to OZ a year ago and people were stopping me in the streets. Opposite end of the world and I’m being recognised. Still hard to believe. Another huge change would be the perks in life you get, which I certainly don’t take for granted as I always remember what life was like before GS. Little perks such as free drinks, tables and queue jumps just make a night out so much better. Other perks are free clothes, gifts and products passed my way all the time. Doing what I do I also travel loads which allows me to meet loads of different people and famous people which I wouldn’t have met if I wasn’t in this line of work. After 2 years of living like this its just normality now but if I look back to before GS I can see how much life has changed.

Have you ever regretted your decision to leave?

I’ll be honest I have never regretted leaving Geordie Shore. The only thing that I would miss is if they filmed abroad in a class location and I didn’t go (yes a cheeky little visit to OZ was insane and I would of missed that if I didn’t go). If I didn’t want to leave I wouldn’t and to this day I always say I could not do filming for the full 5 weeks again. I have the best of both worlds at the minute.

You've said you left the show because Geordie Shore and relationships don't mix, do you think James is doing the right thing by staying on the show?

Yeah Geordie Shore and relationships don’t mix at all. No matter who you are, you get in a relationship the last thing you will be doing is going out 6 nights a week, doesn’t happen. When in Geordie Shore you are out 6 nights a week and when you’re in a relationship you lose interest to go out, never mind 6 nights a week.  James is a good mate of mine and I know that he is sick of Geordie Shore at times. I can tell straight away.  This would happen to anyone in a relationship and filming Geordie Shore. A relationship changes your mindset from when you’re being single living the party lifestyle to when you’re in a relationship and the thought of drinking and partying 6 nights a week is not as appealing. Also when filming Geordie Shore you don’t have your phone which makes it twice as hard when.

You've launched your own tanning range, appropriately called JAYTAN, talk us through what products you offer? 

This is the very first product I’ve launched and WOW its one of the best decisions I have made. I would be biased but it’s the best tan on the market.  I have both a male and female range. The female tan smells of coconut whilst the males smells of a fresh cool water scent, so no more smelling of biscuits with JAYTAN (this is the only difference between the two). Both tans are organic with 3 different moisturizers in which allows people with skin disorders to use the tan. Another major advantage of the tan is when it fades, it fades evenly NOT patchy like the majority of tans on the market.

So coming to the actual products themselves. I have both home use tanning and professional use tanning. In the home use tanning the options available are a tanning mousse in light, medium, dark, midnight and wash off (available in both males and females). I also offer a ‘tan in a can’ which is the spray. The darkest available is the midnight and obviously the lightest being the light.

In the professional range I offer 1 litre bottles in the light, medium, dark and midnight as well as 3 different spray guns available. The professional tan is exactly the same as the home use however this solution is used for the spray guns, hence why it comes in 1 litre bottles.

Both the professional use and home use tans have mini samples available.

Check my site http://www.jays-tan.com/

How often do you use fake tan? Any tips on how to apply the perfect tan? 

I use the male ‘tan in a can’ which is the spray and I will apply this about once a week. If im doing a photo shoot I will normally have a professional spray tan by the JAYTAN team.  Best thing to do when applying tan is to jump in the shower and exfoliate before tanning and don’t use any anti perspirant. Its best to use a barrier cream on your knees elbows, fingers and toes so tan does not clog in these areas.  For the females I would advise never to use a face wipe to take their make up off as the wipe actually has barriers in which can stop the tan from getting on to the skin.  Is always best to use water when taking make-up off.  WOW actually surprised myself with how much I know.

We've heard great things about JAYTAN, are you pleased it's taken off so well?

Its taken off massively, within the first 3 weeks of the site been launched we reached 1.2 million viewings on the website. The tan is only getting bigger and bigger and the reviews are great. More and more people are talking about how good the product is and they wouldn’t use anything but JAYTAN. Believe it or not I don’t do this by myself. I have the best management who I speak to everyday who support, help and guide me through all my ventures. There is also a huge team behind the JAYTAN that work hard everyday processing orders, updating the site, social media, manufacturing the actual product. There is so much time and effort that has gone in from all parties, which make this tan the best on the market. We are only at the beginning and JAYTAN is huge, it will only get bigger and bigger so expect huge things.

Any plans to extend the range? 

Yeah of course. The JAYTAN is a huge success that is getting bigger and bigger. I already know what I will add to the range, you will just have to wait until I tease you all on Twitter @JayGShore and eventually show you the new additions to JAYTAN.

You've teased on twitter you have a new venture lined up, any clues as to what we can expect? 

Yeah I have a new venture in the pipeline. Its not far off from being launched but we are just working at this being perfect and hopefully as successful as JAYTAN.  I wish I could tell you exactly what it is but I love the tease on twitter and the build up. All I will say is you can wear it!!

When you're not busy helping the nation become more bronzed what do you enjoy doing in your spare time? 

I’m always busy doing something work wise, so when I get some time to myself I like to just kick back and relax, go for food, hit the gym and just do general day to day stuff. The gym is a big part of my life at the moment, training 5 times a week and making sure I’m eating every 2 to 3 hours. When I get a bit more free time I will jet away on holiday. Hoping to hit Dubai at some point again - top up the tan, chill and get a few drinks down.

Do you get chance to watch other shows like The Valleys and Made In Chelsea? What do you think of them? 

I’ll be honest I don’t even watch Geordie Shore never mind other reality shows. I have seen The Valleys and I have even met some of the cast who in person were lovely, down to earth people, again just normal lads and lasses. I’ve heard a few things and I do think that SOME of the cast try a bit too hard and think about what their doing too much and from what I’ve heard I’d imagine that some of the stuff will just be for the show because if they do genuinely do what they do on the show, then there on another planet like.

And finally... Any chance we could see you make an appearance on Geordie Shore again? 

Never say Never! Who knows what could happen in series 7!