Jessel Taank is a British-born fashion publicist, wife, and mother to toddler twin boys.
Shes not wrongmany fans agree shes emerged as the breakout star after a strange and captivating season.
I went in very differently.
Courtesy of Jessel Taank/Bravo/Getty Images/Amanda K Bailey
You see it on the showthe moment where I clock it, she says.
[Where I understand] that producers are not my friends.
Now, shes in on the bit: They’re not going to fool me again.
Courtesy of Jessel Taank
I remember in grade school I had invited a good friend over for dinner.
At my house, they were eating dal.
It isn’t glamorous or sexyit looks like a bowl of greenness.
Courtesy of Jessel Taank
Small things like that made me very self-aware.
My confidence was not quite there growing up.
I was very shy and hypersensitive.
Matei Horvath
I was battling a lot in general.
As an Indian, I’m considered to have a darker skin tone.
And my mother is stereotypically beautiful for Indian standards.
Ariel Cannon Photography
I was such a rebel queen.
I just wish I had focused more.
I studied English language, which was so broad.
Courtesy of Jessel Taank
I just felt very scattered.
I was a party animal.
I loved to go outloved.
Growing up, my parents were quite strict, and I didn’t really have exposure to much.
So having that freedom in college was very liberating.
Thats what I liken it toI just went wild.
So yeah, I would definitely say I wish I pared back on that.
I wouldve gotten way farther in my career than I did doing four years in college.
I wouldve been Anna Wintour.
I wouldve had enough time.
I always wonder about that.
Im like, well, was Kings College really necessary?
What did I actually learn?
To me, it was like a box I needed to check just to keep my family happy.
So I dont know, maybe my advice is dont go to college.
Just start your life.
He wanted me to come to LA, but I refused unless we were engaged.
But then on the flip side, I wanted to get married so badly.
Fashion in LA is not fashion in New York.
It was like a sliding door moment.
But that decision completely changed the course of everything I had worked toward.
But I really did think that we would be able to build the life that we wanted in LA.
I was very excited for it.
We didnt have a plan.
We were very spontaneous.
We traveled a lot.
We moved around a lot.
Reliving all of that on the show was really tough.
Your health is not always in your handsespecially something like fertility.
It was so heavy, the whole feeling of it.
I took this one thing and I let it change me completely.
I really didnt know what was going on with my body.
I stopped drinking for a year or two, before I even got pregnant.
I tried to control everything so much that I became depressed.
I would take up meditation.
I will never get pregnant naturally, unfortunately.
Nothing is worth the stress.
And I really don’t think I would do anything differently.
I was just sharing my truth.
But heres what I would tell myself on the first day of filming: Keep your mouth shut.
Dont talk about a damn thing.
After watching yourself on TV for several months, you start to realize how you talk to people.
Maybe in the first few episodes, I wouldve spoken with a little more sensitivity.
I remember being upstairs trying on the lingerie.
It was so not my vibe.
I like something thats corseted and pushes me upthats a little bit formfitting.
After having Rio and Kai, my boobs are to the floor.
Thats the formula I implemented after the Hamptons trip, because otherwise it wouldve been my demise.
When it comes to how I speak to my husband, maybe I do come across a little bossy.
People commenting on that was very eye-opening for me.
I would absolutely never, ever film again without getting hair and makeup done.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
