No one knows how to marry and divorce better than the ladies of Hollywood Exes. I kid, I kid. Sometimes I think these ladies are a more authentic bunch than their reality counterparts, and in the next moment, I'm reminded that these women know that cattiness and craziness brings the ratings…and the paychecks!
I'm sure y'all would agree that the former Mrs. R. Kelly is one of the more entertaining–and dramatic–of the bunch. When she's not spouting off hilarious quips and one-liners, Drea Kelly can be found stirring the pot and checking text alerts that let her know when someone has tweeted her praises. Hey, at least she's honest!
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In a VH1 interview, Drea opens up about her new line, her changing look, and why the dramz between her and her co-stars is more of a teaching moment rather than entertainment (well, if that's not a positive spin!). Check it out below!
It’s been a huge week for you, Hollywood Exes is back! How has it been?
I have an alert on my phone whenever Tweets come in and I have had to turn it off. It’s the craziest thing! People are hitting me like, “Oh, my God, please come up with a book of Drea-isms! $19.95 plus shipping and handling!” but that’s just who I am, I’ve always been this way. People ask me what’s the difference between season one and season two and I’m like, well, season one was the appetizer and this is the entree. This is the main course. I’m just so proud.
How do you keep such a positive vibe, even when you’re going through something dramatic, as you did this week with Jessica [Caonseco]?
The conflict is not the center of our show. It’s how we handle the conflict, that’s what drives Hollywood Exes. It’s about great women and the things they do, it’s not about, Oh, they were married to these men and then they got divorced. No, it’s “We were married to these men and this shows why they married us in the first place.” The one thing you will never see on our show is disrespect. That’s what’s so great about our sisterhood, that I am going to respect you as a woman and as a human being, no matter how upset I am. I’m really happy that our show is consistent with that. We have been so brainwashed to believe that true friendship and sisterhood among women doesn’t exist, and that’s not true. I’m glad our show shows the opposite. I just believe we show that women need women and we love each other.
Last season you injured your foot in a clip that I literally recoil at when I watch myself.
Oh, I cannot watch it! Reliving that is like, my body cringes. It was probably the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life besides childbirth. I promise you. I was telling someone the other day, I would rather have eighteen kids without an epidural before going through that again.
How’s the recovery?
It’s an ongoing process any time you injure yourself as a dancer, you always say, I’m never going to be the same! You’re always cognizant of that injury. Athletes will tell you this, there’s always the possibility of re-injuring yourself, you’re never 100%, it’s always gonna be there. I’m back to dancing though, my body feels good, the foot is better, but I still struggle with it, you always baby it a little bit. As a dancer you don’t like being in that position because you always want to be free on that stage, but the reality is that your body sustained an injury so you have to be cautious.
How have you changed your look from season one to season two?
I’m a fashion designer so I’m always aware, even if it’s just my casual wear. Because now people are watching and your fans will get you right together. On Facebook and Twitter, they’re there saying “No ma’am, that outfit is not right!” So I have stepped it up. Also, I would say changing the hair. That was a big one. I rocked the weave and then I took it out and now I’m back to the short pixie haircut. Nicole [Murphy] cut her hair back off after growing it out, too. I think as women we’re always changing, it’s what you feel for that moment.
Is your fashion line more dance or women’s wear?
It’s actually both. I have Dream by Drea Kelly, we’re still working on that and that’s fitness and dance. I want women to know that whatever size you are, if you’re a zero or a sixteen, it’s about being healthy, so be a healthy zero or healthy sixteen. Being thin does not necessarily mean healthy. My line is about feeling sexy. I was also in the Bob Mackie program in school, I have always loved fashion, so I have a ready-to-wear line that’s moderately priced because I want every woman to feel beautiful. People will see us on TV and ask “Oh, what do you have on?” but in their mind they’re thinking “I’ll never be able to look like that or afford it,” so I wanted to show that, yes, Drea Kelly wears her own fashion line and you can afford it. We haven’t launched yet but you’ll be able to get it online.
Getting back to your one-liners, how do you come up with so many? We’ve run a compilation of all of your best ones and it’s truly exhaustive.
There is no formula, I’m not sitting up like, oh, I should say this. Literally, it’s just me and I’m just talking. That’s how I express myself, I’ve always been that way since i was a little girl. When I’m out and about, at the mall or wherever I go, people come up to me to tell me, you are the same in person as you are on TV. It’s weird that people have to say that, but I guess when you see people out, you might think they’re one way and you see them in person and you’re like, wow, they were really a jerk! But I’m like, no, I am who I am, I’ve been this way all my life. And then they’re like, “Don’t ever change,” but I’ve been in this business all my life. I don’t think I’ll get to that place where I’m like “Oh, I have arrived!” I realize that just as the elevator goes up, it has to go right back down to the ground floor, nothing stays at the top forever. Nothing about this will ever change me.
You have to really appreciate her confidence and love her candor. The woman put up with R. Kelly, for goodness' sake! That, in and of itself, kind of makes her iconic to me. Love Drea or not so much, I think she's one of the funniest VH1 has to offer!
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[Photo Credit: VH1]
