'Why I quit': Meghan Markle reveals being 'objectified' at work

The Duchess of Sussex opened up about her time as a Deal or No Deal "case girl" in her latest podcast episode, saying she was treated like a "bimbo".

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage

The Duchess of Sussex opened up about her time as a "case girl" on the game show in her latest podcast episode, saying she was treated like a "bimbo".

Meghan Markle opened up about her role as a Deal or No Deal briefcase girl on the latest episode of her podcast Archetypes, revealing she quit the job because she felt “objectified”, only appreciated for “beauty not brains” and treated like a “bimbo”.

Speaking to guest Paris Hilton in the latest episode titled Breaking Down the Bimbo, the Duchess of Sussex said while she was grateful for the work that “paid the bills”, she disliked “how it made me feel, which was not smart”. 

She added that she wanted her daughter, Lilibet, to “aim higher”. 

“Yeah, I want my Lili to want to be educated and want (her) to be smart and to pride herself on those things,” she said.

Markle appeared on the second season of NBC's Deal or No Deal 16 years ago. She initially stood beside briefcase number 11 for two episodes, then moved to number 24. 

Having left the show midway through the season in 2006, she said her sudden departure was due to the objectification of the briefcase girls on stage.

“I didn't like feeling forced to be all looks. And little substance. And that's how it felt for me at the time being reduced to this specific archetype the word bimbo.”

Women on the show were forced to undertake a variety of beauty treatments including “padding in your bra” and fake eyelashes.

'We were even given spray-tan vouchers each week because there was a very cookie cutter idea, of precisely what we should look like. It was solely about our beauty,” Markle said. 

“I was surrounded by smart women on that stage with me, but that wasn't the focus of why we were there and I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach. Like I said, I was thankful for the job but not for how it made me feel which was not smart.”

Markle’s appearance on the show came before she starred on Suits, and before she met her now husband Prince Harry. 

Paris Hilton.

Before the interview began, Markle, 41, told listeners she was anxious to interview Hilton, also 41, saying: “I've been the most nervous about this one.”

“'Because while I'm embarrassed to admit it, I had a judgment about Paris. And I don't like having judgment doesn't feel good.

“But I had to be real about that because when I grew up, she was beautiful, rich and famous. What could possibly be wrong with her life?”

Hilton said she, too, was apprehensive about doing the podcast with Markle because “I'm just such a shy person and we haven't met before.”