With her playful high-fashion outfits, she's style goals for many. But one would never tell from looking at this fashionista who oozes elegance that she was not always confident.
“Loving my body is something I had to learn," she says. "At some point I hated how my body looks and the attention I got because of it growing up. It was quite traumatic for me because while I was growing up, and my family is built the same way I am, but the people I was surrounded by were not, so I stood out. I was tall and skinny but had these wide hips, so it was just awkward.”
Not seeing women who had her body type on TV didn’t help, until a particular actress joined Generations. The entrepreneur, musician and new mom is hoping that women who have a body like hers can watch Real Housewives of Durban (RHOD) and see her be the representation she hardly had.
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“Back then, I didn’t see women who had a body like mine on TV. The first time I ever saw people being positive about someone who had a similar body to mine was when I saw Sharon on Generations. She was a big deal and people really celebrated how her body looked. Then when I started receiving compliments when I got to varsity in Joburg, I was quite shocked. And that’s how I started loving the body I was in.”
Fans have loved her style on the show. And with Londie constantly serving looks on Instagram, it was expected. She speaks about her style growing up, her inspirations, and what she looks for in her favourite brands.
“My outfits were always so extra growing up, but funny enough a lot of the things I wore would up being trendy months later. I’m inspired by lots of people – Victoria Beckham is one of my idols, I absolutely love her. Her style is classic and she always understands the theme so well, which I love because I also love dressing up when there’s a theme. Give me a theme and I’ll rock it well. I also follow a lot of influencers in Paris and London who inspire quite a lot. And I love playing around with trends.”
When it comes to her favourite brands, it’s more about the quality than the label. “People probably think my favourite brands is Gucci, because I wear a lot of Gucci, but that’s because every season they produce something that’s going to be trendy and I love playing around with that. To me it’s more about the quality than the price, there are a lot of quality brands I love which we don’t have access to because we are in SA, so we are limited. Ultimately I want people to look at me and think luxury, when you think of Londie think of luxury.”
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Despite her popularity on Instagram and established reputation as an influencer she’s been able to fit in with teh RHOD ladies and build friendships with Laconco and Jojo, who’s also new to the show. Londie has been watching the show with us too.
“It’s been quite weird seeing myself on the show, but I’m enjoying it. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s episode," she admits. "I can’t wait for you guys to see it too. It’s also been interesting to see the ladies on the other side of the camera, during their diary sessions and seeing their facial expressions and what they say in between.”
Originally she was approached by two realty shows, she shares, and decided to go with RHOD, a perfect fit since she was moving to Durban.
She’s also a now a mom, something she’s always wanted. “Being a mom is hectic guys, and it’s one of the reasons I wanted to be on the show. On Instagram I don’t get to show that side – mainly because it wasn’t my life. All you see are posts and reels, but not me and my growth as a person and me being a mommy.
"Having this little person who will look up to you one day is a lot to think about. Something which I always knew I wanted to be before turning 30. And fortunately God blessed me. It was also important for me to show people that even though I’m seen as celeb, I’m a normal person with a normal life, who has goals for myself, and my businesses.”
With growth comes changes, which we’ll be able to see and hear in her upcoming music, she says, adding that her her sunglasses business, Ochialli, is still booming.
“Obviously back then my music was influenced by my party lifestyle, but as my life changes, so are the things that influence my music and its sound. And it’s funny how the two have become intertwined. Most of the people who order my sunglasses are in the music business, which I love.”
As fun as it’s been being on the show, it was a lot more work than she thought being on reality TV would be. Although she'd known she’d have to expose her home and family to the public, it wasn’t any less nerve-wracking recording in her home. It's a lot of hard work too, she says.
“The hours. Nobody tells you about the hours. We film until late at night and sometimes start at dawn. Then there’s the assumptions people had about me and how I would act. I’ve seen some people say I’m boring because they know me from Instagram. But because I understand human nature I wasn’t upset.
"Most of the comments people leave me are so lovely, encouraging and uplift me."
She knows that supporters' devotion can be fickle though, saying "but then it [support] could change, we’re only on episode five".
'At first I was expecting the worst I won’t lie, I was so nervous.”
