'Real Housewives' star Ramona Singer opens up about fame: 'I felt self-conscious about it'
Ramona Singer isn't afraid to be "unfiltered."
On Monday, the "Real Housewives of New York City" alum was a special guest on the second episode of Hilaria Baldwin and Michelle Campbell Mason's podcast, Witches Anonymous.
The podcast centres on women's issues and how women interact with each other to usher a sense of community and inspiration.
While the second episode delved into topics such as mental health and the media, Singer focussed on her rise to fame and how taxing being a reality star can be.
When the 65-year-old began filming the show 16 years ago, she revealed she "only did it to help [her] ex-husband...to give eyeballs to his business."
However, Singer quickly garnered press attention, which was much to her dismay.
"I didn't anticipate how famous we's become...people were recognizing me after two weeks. The recognition was astronomical but I felt self-conscious about it," she said. "...I know it sounds like an oxymoron but I don't like to be recognized. When I'm not on TV I just want to do my own thing."
Baldwin added that Signer's rapid rise to fame could be due to her glittering personality.
"You relate to a big group of people because you're human with energy," Baldwin quipped, to which Singer replied: "I love life and I have boundless energy."
But despite the reality star's larger-than-life persona, the show quickly pointed out some of her flaws.
"The show made me more self-aware as I realized how abrupt I can be...I was busy non-stop and I realized I can be very curt, which wasn't great. So then I was trying to be a better person after that," she shared.
Singer credited her blunt nature to the idea that women in the workplace have to work harder to get ahead.
"I was a buyer for Macy's...in the workplace other women lose their empathy because they want to be respected by the men," she explained. "I worked in a male dominated business. I was up against all these men and you have to be a hard a—."
Although the mother-of-one appears to have thick skin, there's one thing she cannot stand — the press.
When Baldwin asked Singer how she handles press attention, she said that "she can't" and it makes her "very upset."
"When we first did the show they asked if I was upset about what people would write and I would just block it out. But when they write things that aren't true, I find it very hurtful and upsetting and it's a difficult thing to handle," she added.
That said, Singer shared that she's "doing her best" and is good at being unapologetically herself, which is why she believes she was on the show for so long.
"I’m unfiltered. I say what everyone else is thinking...and sometimes I get a little flack for it but I know what I’m doing. I’m not in TV to be unsuccessful, I did it to be successful," she said.
The reality star went on to explain that she's "not acting" when on the show but "pumps it up in a genuine way." She also clarified that she's not as unfiltered in real life as she is for the TV screens.
Now that Singer is no longer on the show, she told Baldwin and Mason that she feels "really relaxed" and is now a "softer person."
"You don’t realize when you’re filming a show as intensely as this how much it does emotionally and mentally — it affects you and drains you," she shared. "I am so much happier and I don't have to prove anything now. I'm 60-something, and I've accomplished so much more in my life than I ever thought possible."
At the end of the episode, Singer gave her advice to aging women about growth and friendship.
"Make friends you are younger because they will be around and you don't want no one in your life...And I think that's important as you get older to meet good friends," she revealed. "And don't be afraid to evolve."
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