She's a reality TV star and has an English title, but Ladies of London star Julie Montagu is not letting that go to her head. After the premiere episode of the second season of Ladies of London, it was clear that Montagu was as real as it gets, even though her Viscountess Hinchingbrooke (Lady Hinchingbrooke) title is the most royal one on the show. In an interview with Bustle, Montagu spoke about the fan response to her seemingly "normal" life. "It's the nicest thing ever," Montagu shares, while reading some of her favorite Tweets and responses from the premiere episode. "It's nice to see someone you can relate to," she says.
England is a "little behind" on the reality TV scene, says Montagu, at least in terms of American reality television, but that doesn't mean that Montagu had any issue getting used to living her life with cameras following her around. "I would say it took a day," she says, "Then you're just constantly filming... You forget about it."
Montagu's life, while royal (by marriage), is actually very down-to-earth and relatable, to the point that Montagu rides a bike around town to get to-and-from places she needs to go. But her relatable life doesn't mean that she didn't have trepidations about coming into Season 2 as a main cast member (she was supporting in a few episodes in Season 1). "I was nervous that if I filmed and showed my world — my reality — compared to other reality TV shows, that I would totally be slated." Slated, in British use, means criticized severely.
"I was worried people were going to be like 'Why is this girl on this show?' If you're going to go on these shows, you have to be authentic," she says. "If I don't show my authenticity, then I'm going to be fake and I'm going to get slated for that." Montagu says that if she showed her authenticity, and was "slated" for it, then she wouldn't do [the show] again.
As it turns out, Julie's authenticity is a hit with fans. And it's not for show — Julie lives the most authentic life she can off screen, too, as a yoga teacher and superfood book author and snack line entrepreneur. "I can't be anything else but myself," she says, noting that's the same message she teaches in her yoga classes.
Even Julie's family has stayed down-to-earth now that their lives have been put on camera. Ladies of London doesn't air in England like it does in America, so even Julie's children don't make a big deal out of it. "You still have that anonymity. Life is just normal."
Images: Tristan Fewings/Bravo (2)
