TANYA BURR: Dating After Divorce, the Brit Crew & Why I Quit YouTube
4/28/202655 min
Tanya Burr rose to fame as one of the UK’s original YouTubers. As part of the Brit Crew, she quickly became one of the most recognisable faces on the platform alongside Zoella, Alfie Deyes and Marcus Butler.
I’ve always been fascinated by creators like Tanya and their ability to captivate millions of people from their bedrooms, so I was really excited to have her on Great Company.
In our conversation, Tanya explains why she started YouTube and how quickly it turned into a career. She reveals how her self-worth became tied to how she was perceived online and why, after a very public break-up, she stepped away from YouTube in 2019 to rebuild her life away from the spotlight.
In this episode, Tanya shares:
- Her favourite memories of the Brit Crew
- Living with anxiety and how she’s learnt to manage it
- Why she quit YouTube in 2019
- Rebuilding her life after a public break up
- Dating in her thirties and how she knew her boyfriend Dan was the one
Most people would struggle to walk away from something as successful as Tanya’s YouTube career. But she did. She chose herself and her courage stayed with me long after our conversation ended.
Tanya Burr is Great Company.
If you enjoyed the show, you can also follow us:
Instagram- @greatcompanypodcast
TikTok - @greatcompanypodcast
Jamie - @jamielaing
And if you've got thoughts, questions and comments, you can email us at: greatcompany@jampotproductions.co.uk
THE CREDITS
Producer: Helen Burke
Assistant Producer: Issy Weeks-Hankins
Video: Josh Bennett
Senior Social Media Manager: Laura Coughlan
Audio: Rafi Amsili Geovannetti
Executive Producer: Ewan Newbigging-Lister
Great Company is an original podcast from JamPot.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJamie Laing· Host0:00
You were part of something called the Brit Crew.
Tanya Burr· Guest0:01
The Brit Crew, yeah.
Jamie Laing· Host0:02
The OGs.
Tanya Burr· Guest0:03
[upbeat music] You're making me emotional.
Jamie Laing· Host0:06
2015, you were raking in 10 million views a month on YouTube.
Tanya Burr· Guest0:10
Mm. [laughs] Like, what's your, what's your question?
Jamie Laing· Host0:12
What was the revenue looking like back then?
Tanya Burr· Guest0:14
I did YouTube for 10 years. I was stepping away from something that was successful. I found it so hard, and just reading the things that were written about me.
Jamie Laing· Host0:26
What were people saying?
Tanya Burr· Guest0:27
There were so many comments about my weight. I remember just feeling so low about myself. I quit YouTube, and I just needed to disappear for a while. Hi, I'm Tanya Burr, and I'm In Great Company.
Jamie Laing· Host0:41
[upbeat music] I'm here today with Tanya Burr.
Tanya Burr· Guest0:44
[laughs] You would've been such a good member of the Brit Crew.
Jamie Laing· Host0:47
I would love to be in the Brit Crew. Fuck.
Tanya Burr· Guest0:50
Looking back, I know that I had all these anxious tendencies when, when I was as young as seven, and I remember thinking, "If only I could be worried about normal teenage girl things."
Jamie Laing· Host0:59
When you go to the bathroom, why do you have to shut the door 15 times?
Tanya Burr· Guest1:03
To test it. My brain just goes to, "I will be trapped in here forever." It's your mind playing tricks on you.
Jamie Laing· Host1:07
It's quite crippling at times.
Tanya Burr· Guest1:09
Mm. Oh, yeah. When I started YouTube, in the beginning it was fine, and then it came back. I was so terrified of feeling anxious because I didn't understand it, and also because nobody spoke about it.
Jamie Laing· Host1:20
For anyone who is listening right now who's perhaps dealing with that at the beginning and they're not talking to anyone- Mm.
Tanya Burr· Guest1:26
Yeah ...
Jamie Laing· Host1:26
what would you say to that person?
Tanya Burr· Guest1:28
I would say-