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Joan Kelley Walker Dishes On Joining The Real Housewives Of Toronto!

Joan Kelley Walker made her official debut last week as one of the main cast members of Slice's The Real Housewives of Toronto. During a recent interview, Joan revealed that she couldn’t wait to share the news with her friends and family when the cast was announced a few weeks back. “It’s exciting,” Joan told HELLO Magazine. “I posted on social media and everybody has been saying, ‘I can’t wait to watch.’”

As for the drama that follows the hit reality franchise, she says, “People who know me know how I will be on the show. I think! We’ll see!” During her interview with the publication, the Slice reality star reveals why the show was “a gift,” what makes it different from her real life and what she learned about herself from filming the series.

Joan, how did you adjust to living your life on-camera?
I think I have an advantage because of all the on-camera work I’ve done throughout my career. Like any other TV gig, we know when we’re on camera and when we’re not. You know when you’re on, so you behave accordingly.

As an on-camera personality, was it difficult for you to be yourself and not the host of a show?
Well, that was one of my personal goals for this show, to really be true to who I am. We’re still very private, but I’ve been sharing more about myself. It was definitely challenging at times, but I didn’t want to be influenced by what people expect Real Housewives to be. I can’t speak to the other people, but I have nothing to hide.

Did you know any of the women before you started filming?
Jana and Grego were and are my dear friends. I was so happy when I found out they were on the show. I didn’t know anything about Grego [being on the show] until I was doing my first on-camera interview and they asked a question about her. I said, “Grego? My Grego?” I was freaking out. It was awesome. It was a very nice surprise.

Fans of other Real Housewives series are used to seeing the cast attend lots of events and parties. When the cameras aren’t rolling, is that what your life is like?
I definitely did a lot more of that this summer [while filming] than I normally would. I don’t go out for lunch with the girls every day and I don’t throw a party a week. Most summers, I’m up at the cottage [in Muskoka] and we do a lot of socializing there. We end up doing a lot of hosting just because we’re central on the lake and have a lot of room, so we have a lot of friends come up.

Which of the other Real Housewives franchises is your favorite?
I’ll always stop and watch The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills if I come across it and I have time. I don’t know Lisa Rinna well, but I’ve met her a few times. We have some mutual friends. To be honest, I really didn’t want to be influenced by other people’s perception of what they think a “Housewife” is or what the other housewives were doing, because I think each city has its own feel and vibe. Toronto is unique because we have unique women. I think something Toronto has done is really raise the bar. The women in Toronto are very diverse. It’s elevated.

What did you learn about yourself through the process of filming?
I learned that I make a big effort with people. Sometimes it goes unappreciated, but I usually take quite a gentle stance with people.

In your years as a red-carpet reporter, who’s the coolest person you’ve interviewed?
I was pretty thrilled with some of the people I’ve talked to, like Jennifer Aniston, Julianne Moore and Drew Barrymore. Jennifer Garner is so lovely. The bigger the star, the more professional they are.

Were there any stars who surprised you?
George Clooney actually put his hand on my arm and said, “Did you get what you want? Was that OK?” I thought that was very sweet. One time, Al Pacino arrived late for a première and there were 80 outlets on the carpet hoping to speak to him. He made it about a third of the way through before he had to leave to introduce the movie. He said, “I’ll be back.” Do they ever come back? No. He actually came back and finished the whole carpet. I was very impressed.

Click here to read the full interview courtesy via HELLO Magazine!

The Real Housewives of Toronto airs Tuesday nights at 10pm ET on Slice in Canada.

Photo Credit: Slice