Lauren CONRAD covers a variety of TOPICS!

Her friendship with Heidi


"We'll always have an understanding that once upon a time, we were real friends. That was a real relationship and we'll always have that, but I don't think anyone else will ever understand it. On my last day [of production] she sent me flowers and congratulated me. We still have a friendly relationship, there's just so many obstacles that will never allow us to be friends again. It's not necessarily a fair situation, but Heidi gets it."

Her last day of filming


'The Hills'"It was kind of bittersweet. I was really excited to be done, but it was also a little bit sad. We all had a glass of champagne and gave little speeches. That's the only sad part, really, saying goodbye to the crew and some of the cast. Some of the crew members have been with me since the very beginning. The DP was with me my first day on 'Laguna Beach.'"

Keeping actor-boyfriend Kyle Howard off the show

"I'm not really interested in showing my love interests on camera anymore. I've done it enough. The last few people I dated on camera, I knew I had no future with. There was an understanding that we were always just having fun. I would never put a guy I really cared about on camera again. I actually hid my relationship with Kyle for two months. As soon as the producers found out, I just told them 'No.'" "I told [executive producer Adam DiVello], 'I gave you four years, all of my relationships.' He understood that I was really happy for the first time. He's watched me go through so many bad things. So he said, 'You seem really happy, it's fine, do what you have to do. Put your happiness first."

Why she thought 'The Hills' was going to be better than 'Laguna Beach'"

I didn't get along with all the kids they cast on ' Laguna Beach' so it made filming that show hard. When I was pitched 'The Hills,' the producers said the show would follow me and some friends trying to make it in L.A. I thought, 'Great! It's going to be about me and friends. We're all going to get along this time!' I mean, three years later, it's kind of funny, right?"

The Justin Bobby debacle"

Audrina called me and asked if I hooked up with Justin Bobby. I laughed when she first said it. I said, 'Are you serious?' She said, 'Yes.' I said, 'No.' She asked me to swear, to swear on my mother's life. I did and she said, 'You're lying to me.' She was just so insistent and I could hear people in the background calling me a slut, so I told her I didn't do it and hung up. i couldn't believe she was entertaining it. "What's funny is that I was dating Kyle at the time, but I was still hiding him, so I couldn't defend myself on the show. I actually ran into the person who told Audrina I got with with Justin Bobby in Vegas. I had a few choice words for him. I actually pushed him! It was a girl push, but I was so mad."

Becoming friends with Spencer's sister Stephanie

"We really did sign up for the same class [at FIDM]. I had only met her once before, when she was yelling at me in the club, but I recognized her. It was a little weird. She came up to me and apologized. I was scared at first but she seemed a little nervous and uncomfortable so that made me feel better."You can be judged by the company you keep, but I don't think you can be judged by your family. You don't choose your family."

The inspiration for her teen fiction book 'L.A. Candy'"

People keep saying, 'It's 'The Hills.' We've already heard this story.' But it's actually the show's untold story. For years, there was this whole drama going on behind the scenes, dealing with the cameras and the media and the fame. That story was never told on 'The Hills.' 'L.A. Candy' is inspired by that. None of the characters in the book are based on real people or anything, but it's sort of a look at the other side of 'The Hills' experience."

Why she stayed on 'The Hills' as long as she did"

When I was 17 [a reality show] sounded like so much fun. That's the only reason I did it. But the only reason I continued to do it is because I started looking at it as a business opportunity. MTV partnered in my clothing line, I'm writing books ... none of that would have happened had I not stuck it out for awhile."

Remaining close to Heidi's sister Holly"

Our relationship, mine and Holly's, was never really shown, but she's one of my really good friends. [Before she was introduced on 'The Hills'] Holly lived with me for awhile. We shared a bedroom for like two months! That's why it felt weird when she just came out of nowhere on the show, like I was offering to put her up for no reason. But we actually had a prior relationship."

The friends you didn't see

"I actually have a lot of great friends I've had for a long time, you just never seen them. There are six of us, all from high school, and we're still best friends. They were always in the background when we'd go to parties or things. When I lived in the house with Lo and Audrina, there were actually five of us living there. My other roommates would be like eating cereal in the morning behind the cameras and crew."

Why people watch 'The Hills'"

I still think it's because people relate. We get to live in Hollywood, and it's exciting, but we still have to go through the same [junk] as everybody else. We still fight with our best friends. We still go through breakups. It just comes off as a little more dramatic."

Seems pretty idiotic to me to give up such an easy gig with such easy money but maybe she has made enough to last, how should I know, but to give it up in a recession really makes me think Lauren is not all that bright.