Everyone one remembers when the name Michaella McCollum hit the headlines back in the the summer of 2013 - the 20-year-old Tyrone woman who found herself arrested for smuggling cocaine alongside Scottish-born Melissa Reid, becoming known as The Peru Two to the rest of the world.
Michaela was originally imprisoned for six years and 8 months but was released last week having served two and a half years of her sentence, and RTE headed out to South America to secure the first interview.
And well, it's proven quite the talking point today, mainly due to how media trained Michaella came across, the lack of any kind of difficult questioning, and of course, the real shocker of it all - that she is no longer rocking her bun and is sporting a blonde do now.
The interview did appear like she had rehearsed each sentence word for word for the last two and a half years, but then, she probably did, and as contrived as it may have seemed, at least she emerged from almost three years in a South American prison as a together and unbroken young woman.
We do think Celebrity Big Brother will come a-knockin' though..
Here's the best reaction from the good folk of Twitter...
Can only assume Peruvian prisons are chokka with expert stylists & media trainers #MichaelaMcCollum #PrisonMakeOver
— Josef O'Shea (@josefoshea) April 3, 2016
Who did your new hair Michaela? #MichaelaMcCollum pic.twitter.com/l4bq6aCGO4
— Caolan Mc Aree (@Caolanmcaree) April 3, 2016
Advertised
I suppose you have a lot of time to get your story sorted and on how you'll deliver it when in prison #MichaelaMcCollum
— Anne Mc Coy (@annemccoy) April 3, 2016
I never thought I'd hear someone describe being imprisoned in Peru for drug smuggling as a growth opportunity #MichaelaMcCollum
— Leslie Ann Horgan (@LeslieAnnHorgan) April 3, 2016
ASK HER IF SHE SAW THOSE KIDS DRESSED UP AS THE PERU TWO! #MichaelaMcCollum
— Keith (@Ragin_Spice) April 3, 2016
Ok so I know she's hardly a drug lord but this interview is very soft.. #MichaelaMcCollum
— Mairead Ronan (@cocomairead) April 3, 2016
"Now love, I know you smuggled a couple of million quid's worth of cocaine, but everyone is talking about your bun. Mammy" #MichaelaMcCollum
— Eoghan McDermott (@eoghanmcdermo) April 3, 2016
Really enjoyed that episode of Peru's Next Top Model #MichaelaMcCollum pic.twitter.com/pKOBN3VwD2
— Deric Ó h'Artagáin (@deric_hartigan) April 3, 2016
#MichaelaMcCollum should do a travel blog. 7 Mistakes To Avoid When Trying To Smuggling Cocaine Internationally. #wanderdust
— Cormac Moore (@CormacComedy) April 4, 2016
Did I miss the bit where they asked her who she was ferrying the drugs for and how much she was paid?! #MichaelaMcCollum
— Maïa Dunphy (@MaiaDunphy) April 4, 2016
Advertised
@HateChrisGreene I'm an idiot. The new look and shiny hair is so much more important. And she feels bad. And has a new look and shiny hair.
— Maïa Dunphy (@MaiaDunphy) April 4, 2016
Depressingly I already have the line "could Michaela please come to the diary room" in my head #MichaelaMcCollum
— Oisin Langan (@oisinlangan) April 3, 2016
