They’re bold, they’re sassy and they’re back! The Real Housewives of Melbourne return for a hotly anticipated fifth season with a brand-new line-up of glamourous women sure to bring plenty of memorable moments, scandalous gossip, outrageous accusations and loads of bling.
Previously making the decision to leave the series, Jackie Gillies – one of Australia’s highest profile professional psychics and wife of Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies – is putting her stilettos back on and returning for the fifth season.
When production commences this week, Jackie will be reunited with returning Housewives Gamble Breaux – a singer songwriter who shares her Mornington Peninsula home with husband Dr Rick Wolfe, stepson Luke and six Pomeranian fur babies; and Janet Roach – co-founder of Raw Essentials Tea and The Roach Foundation (providing much needed emotional and financial support to burns patients) and mother to two boys and two beloved fur babies.
FOXTEL also announced today new housewife Simone Elliott, a successful businesswoman who juggles a high-flying corporate job with raising two children and studying for her MBA. Simone will share the spotlight and screen this season with the three previously announced glamorous new Housewives: yoga teacher, qualified personal trainer and mother of three Cherry Dipietrantonio; self-made business woman, “Champagne Dame” Kyla Kirkpatrick; and multi award-winning news anchor and mother of one, Anjali Rao.
Original cast members Gina Liano and Lydia Schiavello have made the decision to leave the series.
Foxtel’s Group General Manager, LifeStyle, Wendy Moore said: “The Real Housewives of Melbourne has had our fans on the edge of their seat – desperate for its return. It’s quite simply the most popular reality program, loved by our audiences for the fun, outrageous and laugh-out-loud personalities. We are thrilled with the new line-up of strong, successful women and can’t wait for viewers to get a window into their lives – it is sure to be, once again, compulsive viewing.”
Alastair McKinnon, Matchbox Pictures Managing Director, said: “The drama is back. The glamour is back. The long-awaited return of the Housewives promises to deliver all the extravagant fireworks audiences the world over have come to know and love. Melbourne, start your engines.”
The Real Housewives of Melbourne is the first Australian instalment of the globally renowned reality franchise and provides an inside and exclusive look into the extraordinary lifestyles of these wealthy and extravagant women.
The 10 x one-hour series is produced by Matchbox Pictures, part of NBCUniversal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group in conjunction with Foxtel. Executive Producers are Pip Rubira and Dan Munday along with consulting Executive Producer Lisa Potasz for Matchbox Pictures. The series will air on FOX ARENA at a date to be announced later this year
Meet the new Housewives:
Cherry Dipietrantonio – Yoga instructor Cherry is originally from Southampton in the UK. She met husband Andre in Bali at the age of 18 when travelling the world during a gap year with girlfriends. Inseparable, Cherry and Andre married in Melbourne three years after they met and together, they have three children. A Yoga Teacher and qualified Personal Trainer, Cherry has recently started her own YouTube Channel – “Mindful Motion”.
Kyla Kirkpatrick – Kyla, who is known as the “Champagne Dame”, is self-made, lives in Brighton and runs one of the most successful champagne import export businesses in the country – Emperor Champagne. Kyla and her fiancé Kyri have an eight-year-old daughter Arlington Rose (named after the area of Scotland from which her family originate). Kyla and Kyri also work together in the business and they have just opened offices in Singapore. Kyla enjoys investing her money in property as well as back into her business and has purchased nine properties to date.
Anjali Rao – A multi award-winning anchor, who has had two decades at the top tiers of international television journalism. Most notably, she spent six years hosting CNN’s weekday breakfast news and weekly celebrity chat show, Talk Asia, interviewing the world’s biggest names to 220 million homes across the world. Since moving to Australia eight years ago, Anjali has been a regular guest presenter on a number of prime-time television and radio shows. Anjali was raised in Hong Kong, educated in England, and spent many years working in Asia and the UK. Currently single, Anjali is a divorced mother of a 12-year-old son, Izzy.
Simone Elliott– Businesswoman Simone turns heads when she enters most rooms, but don’t be fooled by this blonde with ambition. She has had a diverse and successful career working as a National Business Manager for large multi-national organisations. Qualified in Business Marketing she also holds a Graduate Certificate in Management and is in the final stages of completing an MBA in business. Simone makes sure her busy schedule makes time for her favourite role, mother to her two adorable children from a previous marriage – Helana (10) & Spencer (9).
