‘I was having a hard time’: The outsiders taking on the Real Housewives of Sydney
As meticulously groomed and expensively attired as Dr Kate Adams is at the “glow up” dinner party that begins the second season of The Real Housewives of Sydney, she felt “so puffy”. The veterinarian, who made her television debut on Dr Chris Brown’s Bondi Vet, had recently been discharged from hospital, where she underwent treatment for kidney disease, diagnosed during the previous season.
“My wrists and ankles were so swollen and I had to film,” says Adams. “I’ve gotten used to the diagnosis now. When I first heard this was something that was going to affect the rest of my life, and there may come a day when I might need to have a transplant or go on dialysis, that hit me pretty hard. Now I think, ‘OK, let’s just enjoy this as long as it lasts’. At the moment, I am healthy and good. I just take medication and I’m OK.”
The Real Housewives of Sydney’s Martine Chippendale (left) and Kate Adams catch up with Krissy Marsh (right).
Adams, who is unmarried, childfree and accumulated her fortune through her Bondi practice, is the black sheep of the Sydney incarnation of the international reality franchise that celebrates the glamorous leisure time of rich and bickering wives and divorcees.
She feels this difference has been the root of tension between herself and other cast members, which include former Miss Australia Nicole O’Neil; former Channel Seven presenter Sally Obermeder; former model Caroline Gaultier, socialite Krissy Marsh; and fashionista Victoria Montano. Shoe designer Terry Biviano and Real Housewives of Melbourne’s Jackie Gillies, wife of Silverchair’s Ben Gillies, are poised to reappear this season. And there’s a new housewife on the block – Martine Chippendale, the “life-size Barbie” wife of retired banker John Wilson.
“Martine came in as part of the anti-Kate gang,” says Adams. “She was introduced by Krissy and Victoria, so I have no doubt that she had been told things about me. The best part for me was that she left as my real-life friend. She’s intellectual, she’s curious, she has integrity, she’s got a fabulous wardrobe, all of which I respect.”
Chippendale, a former HR executive with a psychology degree, whose two children, aged four and seven, only briefly appear in the series as she is “quite scrupulous with their privacy”, describes her introduction to the group as akin to “hazing”.
The Real Housewives of Sydney (from left): Martine Chippendale, Victoria Montano, Kate Adams, Krissy Marsh, Sally Obermeder and Terry Biviano.
“I hadn’t realised that I would probably be put through a bit of an induction process,” says Chippendale. “But we’re making a television show, so I understand why some things happen. Maybe it’s not all about how it is in your real life because these aren’t your real friends.”
That became evident in the way some of the cast treated her after she suffered a personal tragedy mid-production. “My mother died during filming,” says Chippendale. “So I had to then manage that within the context of dealing with people that gave me a hard time when I was having a hard time.”
Adams was not one of those people: “Kate is very smart. I found Kate very reasonable and it was a pleasure to film with her.”
Adams has an interesting take on the spectacle of women being nasty to one another. “[The series] is representative of the fact that patriarchal values are often upheld by the women around us. It happens in every society and every religious denomination.”
Adams stresses The Real Housewives of Sydney is a theatrically heightened version of an aspirational life. She even suggests some of the extravagant displays of wealth may be fabricated.
“There are people [on the series] that run around to jewellery stores and try on $2 million diamonds,” she says. “And we all know they’re not going to actually buy them. They’re not billionaires.”
As for presenting such excess during a time of financial crisis and economic uncertainty, Chippendale says it’s all about escapism. “Everyone has their issues. I would hope it’s a moment of reprieve to watch a show like this.”
The Real Housewives of Sydney returns on February 25 at 1.35pm on Binge.
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