The former Bachelor contestant steadfastly refused to take part in a ‘tucker trial’, relinquishing the chance to win meals for her camp mates in the process.
But Lewis told news.com.au that Laurina is definitely no princess and won’t shirk her responsibilities as she tries to win $100,000 for her chosen charity on the hit Ten show.
“I understand that perception [that she’s precious] is out there, but the real Laurina — the Laurina I know — is first to roll her sleeves up. She’s really not a princess, and not afraid to get her hands dirty,” maintains Lewis.
“I think it’ll be great to see her do more fear-related physical challenges on the show, because she’ll nail them.
“With her history with the stomach issues, it was no surprise she wasn’t down for eating a bull’s eye with maggots on top.
“She’s truly terrified of having to relive those sort of stomach issues.”
Laurina was born with a twisted bowel and has endured a lifetime of intestinal complications as a result.
The SpotJobs.com co-founder also says he believes the show will be a good opportunity for Laurina to show a different side of her, which wasn’t evident in The Bachelor.
“When it comes to anything tough in terms of challenges I am pretty sure she will be head-first into all of them and surprise everyone with just how willing she is to roll her sleeves up and get into it,” he told the Kyle & Jackie O radio show.
Lewis also told Kyle and Jackie that he does not get upset or concerned watching Laurina’s fellow camp mates bitch about her because he knows she can handle it.
“Laurina is pretty smart and I think that she thinks more about how she acts then people know, so I don’t get concerned for her and I know she is on top of what is going on.”