A Place in the Sun star claims they were told they’re ’not black enough’ for TV role: ‘I used to cry’
Channel 4 A Place in the Sun presenter Jean Johansson has spoken candidly about her experience of rejection in the entertainment and modelling industry.
The 43-year-old TV host from Port Glasgow opened up about facing harsh feedback during and she how she advises other to handle setbacks in life.
“Rejection is something I’ve always had to deal with since being a model,” she explained on the H1THR podcast.
Johansson admitted she still bears the scars from being turned down in the past, despite her successful television career.
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She recalled being regularly reduced to tears after being knocked back by a talent agencies as a model.
“And in those days, it was like, ‘not tall enough, not white enough, not black enough, too fat, too small, too thick.'”
The 43-year-old explained: “They just told you, and you left the room with your book and went to the next casting.”
“I used to stand outside the room and cry at 15 and 16, but by 17 and 18, it’s like, ‘Okay, next’,” she shared.
In one particularly painful experience, Johansson recalled a time when she finally snagged a meeting with one of London’s biggest agencies and an agent “I had coveted for years and years and years”.
Despite the meeting going very well, she was bluntly rejected via an email.
“And they just passed. It’s just an email, ‘Not the right time Jean. You know, we’ll come back to you, but you’re not for us,'” the presenter remembered.
Even with the difficult memories, Johansson believed she was made stronger by the experiences.
“So, I’m very, very thick-skinned now. I learned that in a harsh way, but I’m so grateful for it,” she added.
To that end, she advised people to “allow themselves the space” to experience and reflect on difficult moments.
“When you don’t get a job, you’re allowed to grieve over it. You’re allowed to phone your friends and b***h, you’re allowed to lose sleep that night, then get over it,” Johansson assured.
“I hate this, like ‘You’re not allowed to grieve. You’re not allowed to be upset.’ “That’s all true, but can I have a couple of days, just to mourn?”
In 2024, after experiencing numerous setbacks, the property show presenter announced she would be hosting a new Channel 4 show called Key To A Fortune.
Taking to Instagram to celebrate this achievement, Johansson wrote: “I very rarely stop to take stock, I’m always looking ahead, hustling and getting ready for the next thing but I have another new show starting on Channel 4 this week and I’m taking a moment to celebrate.”
She concluded her post with a powerful statement about perseverance.
“I’ve worked my a**** off, I’ve took some knocks and I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,” she signed off.