After two successful seasons, The Real Housewives of Durban is coming back for a third season. New faces are set to join the returning cast members. We caught up with one of the newest cast members, Maria Valaskatzis, ahead of Season 3.
Glamour: Please introduce yourself to our audience?
Maria: I’m the little dynamite that The Real Housewives of Durban was missing.
Glamour: What sparked your interest for reality TV?
Maria: I lead a very interesting life and I’ve always shared so much on social media. I think reality television was just the next step.
Glamour: What was the thought process behind your decision to share your personal life with the public?
Maria: I believe that this world does not need leaders, it needs positive role models. As a mental health activist, I can spread a positive message using this platform. My thought process joining this show was to use it to change the narrative around females empowering each other and the importance of nurturing a healthy, strong mind.
Glamour: Do you have any fears or reservations about sharing your life with the public?
Maria: Not really, we all have a story to tell. By sharing your story you could possibly be helping someone out of a situation that seems too dark.
Glamour: What sort of dynamic would you say you bring to the show?
Maria: I am the balanced one.
Glamour: What type of conversations do you naturally gravitate towards?
Maria: I gravitate toward conversations that seek to empower women and children but also those that concern luxury travel and expensive gifts. As you can see, I am balanced. Conversations that show that women can coexist. Conversations about perspectives and how one’s bias can cause conflict.
Glamour: What can viewers expect from you?
Maria: They can expect a strong minded little dynamite that will never be bullied and will always defend the underdog.
Glamour: What surprised you most about yourself and your fellow cast members during shooting?
Maria: What surprised me most about myself is my patience, my husband will be astonished by this patient person. What surprised me about my cast members is their loyalty to those that they have truly bonded with.
Glamour: Has the experience changed your perception of reality TV at all?
Maria: I think most people including myself looked at reality TV as something that was scripted. I’m here to tell you that it’s not. There are true feelings and emotions that exist in this world.
Glamour: One word to describe the experience?
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