With big style, big personality, and an even bigger bank account, Roxy Earle is a dynamic force on The Real Housewives of Toronto. At just 33-years-old, Roxy has already conquered the corporate world, has her own evolving lifestyle brand, and so the move to reality TV seems like the logical next step at winning over an audience.
With her bold, fabulous, no-filter personality, Roxy possesses the kind of unapologetic persona that reality TV dreams are made of. We had a chance to chat with the rising star about everything from fan reactions, her corporate background (which may be the reason she was so offended at Kara’s ‘corporate wife’ comment from episode two), and what it feels like to represent a type of woman you very rarely see on The Real Housewives.
Are you prepared for how your life is going to change now that you’re on The Real Housewives of Toronto?
I mean how can you be prepared for this?! I don’t know what to expect. I’m just being me and living my fabulous life, and someone decided to film it, and I’m going to continue being me. I don’t know if you can ever prepare to see yourself on billboards and have people approach you on the streets. That’s been really exciting, and I’m genuinely very humbled and flattered and I’ve actually written back to every single person who sent me a message on social media. But I do know that I’m going to have to stop doing that soon, not because of the volume, but because I’m not sure if I can bear to hear the mean things.
There’s always bound to be haters, are you ready for that?
I think people forget that we’re human beings. We’re just putting our lives on TV, and I don’t know how that opened us up for criticism, but I understand it does. I sometimes want to reach through the computer and just hug someone because I don’t know why they’re so angry and upset with their lives that they have to hate on you. But you know what, you can’t let it affect you, you have got to continue to be you. Haters are gonna hate.
It’s kind of hard when you’re reading your replies online, and then you get that one negative comment because that’s the one you often dwell on.
You do really dwell on it. It’s a process getting used to the negative comments, and that’s why maybe I detach from reading the comments. But the problem is that I want to engage with all the people who have taken the time to reach out to me, and who have taken the time to say something positive.
There has been an overwhelmingly positive response to you, even before the first episode aired. How are you handling that?
I was very flattered by the response to me, and I do know that there’s been an overwhelming response and I feel it’s because people are really refreshed. It’s nice to see something different. I think that my story and my message about being yourself – being confident and owning who you are – resonates with a lot of people. I don’t look like the stereotype of what people might perceive a Housewife in this franchise to be. I think people are finally thrilled to see some diversity in the cast. I probably represent a group of women who are fans of this show, who were dying to see someone like themselves represented on TV. I hope that I can do that crowd proud, and I hope that I represent that well.
Was there a moment where you stopped and became conscious that you’re representing a certain type of woman on TV? Or were you unapologetically Roxy this whole season?
No, there’s no filtering who I am. I’m not able to edit or tone down Roxy. I’ve always been myself, I’ve always had a big personality, and I’ve always been outrageous. If I could filter it, I probably would’ve been a hundred times more successful in the corporate world because I would’ve been more diplomatic!
I just continued to be me [this season] and I hope people respond to that. I do feel an overwhelming responsibility to represent a group of women and men who feel like they’ve been shamed, or not included in the fashion world, or don’t get to be glamorous. I do feel a responsibility to represent those people, but I haven’t changed the way I behave [in order] to represent them – I’m just aware of them and I take that responsibility very seriously.
I don’t think viewers will get the full scope of your corporate background through the show, can you tell us a little bit about when you were in that world?
I started right out of university. I was an executive assistant at Ogilvy & Mather which is an ad agency. Five years later, I was their client and I rose very quickly through the ranks there – I worked very hard. Then I was offered a job as the Global Account Director in London for American Express at Ogilvy. So I worked in the ad business in London, it was amazingly exciting, then I was brought in to be the client at American Express, and I rose very quickly and was very successful [at a young age]. It’s something I’m incredibly proud of because it’s very important to me that women don’t see me and think that the path to success is just marrying the right man. The path to success is determined on your own, and I believe women should create their own opportunities and not bank on somebody else. It’s a very important message for me to share, so I hope that comes across because I don’t know if it will [on the show].
Well, we’ll get it across now! When did you transition out of the professional world?
About four years ago I decided that I had achieved a certain level of success that I had wanted to achieve for the time being. I wanted to focus on being an entrepreneur and building my own business. At the same time that coincided with transitions in my family and my stepsons spending a lot more time in our home. I wanted to be there and be present as I created a family with my husband’s children. So that’s when I transitioned out of the corporate world. I knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur and that I wanted to build a lifestyle brand, and it just seemed like the right time.
I don’t think a lot of people realized you had stepkids. Did you not want them on the show?
They were dying to be on the show. But we’re very protective and I just don’t think it’s the right time for that.
Was it hard to get your husband on the show?
My husband is an incredibly supportive and loving man, but he’s shy and he’s conservative, and it’s just not in his nature to flaunt his success. He wanted to protect that. As we got a better feel for what was happening [on the show], he does make an appearance.
His interviews about you on the show are really cute, you can tell how loving and supportive he is.
I always say my husband is like a fine and expensive handbag – you bring him out, show him off, he’s exotic and luxurious, then you put him back on the shelf and don’t ask him to come back until you need him.
Then you put him in the protective cover that comes with a designer bag?
Yeah! [Laughs] I protect him because this isn’t his thing. He’s standing behind me and is my cheerleader, but I have to respect that this is not something that he’ll naturally feel comfortable doing.
Aside from RHOT, what’s your favourite Real Housewives franchise to watch?
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I LOVE Erika Jayne, I love Kyle, and I’ve been following their glamorous lives. The fashion is just fabulous. My dream is to do a music video with Erika Jayne.
You’d be such a good artist, you have the look!
I can’t sing, I can’t dance, but I feel like I bring it. I can deliver something to Erika Jayne. I’m going to tweet her! I think I could bring a lot of fierce [in an] Erika video.
So from the other cities, which Housewife do you think you’re most like?
I don’t think I’m like anybody I’ve seen on TV, and that’s what I think is so great. I’m unapologetically me, and I don’t see myself on TV. We’re all so different and we’re all unique, dynamic women.
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