Somehow, despite never having watched a full Real Housewives season before starring in one, Caroline Gaultier has become the darling of the Sydney franchise's reboot.
Her thing for full feather and (faux) fur looks, her deep passion for the experience that is Burning Man and a willingness to share some of her rawest moments have everything to do with the reason why.
We caught up with Caroline just two days after she reunited with her castmates to film the RHOS reunion that we only recently got confirmation was happening. (And while she can't tell us exactly what happens or show us what she was wearing, she can — and does — sum up the vibe.)
Welcome to Chit Chat, where we ask your favourite celebs, up-and-coming artists and internet-famous creatives a bunch of the same silly questions for fun, and a handful of prying ones to reveal who they are beyond their curated online presence.
Would you rather live, laugh or love if you could only choose one for the rest of your life?
But they're the three words that sum up the whole of life! You can't separate the three. That's life.
But you have to choose…
Well, you'd have to live wouldn't you. Otherwise you'd be dead… Well, if I had to choose out of the three, I'd say 'love'.
Even though that means you'd be dead?
Yeah.
What's in your handbag right now?
It has all of my regrets in it. It's about three centimetres by two centimetres and that's what it has in it.
What's the best thing about being a Housewife?
Getting to know six amazing women and getting out of my comfort zone.
Being in the public eye is definitely out of my comfort zone. I really expected a lot more hate. I was really nervous about that but, in all honesty, the support and love I've been getting online and in public has been quite amazing, and that's really surprised me.
I didn't anticipate that, because you can't predict how people are going to perceive you. I was ready for the worst but hoping for the best.
What's the worst thing been?
Being on a schedule. I hate schedules. The hardest part has actually been having to get up in the morning, being on time, turning up. [Laughs]… and not being able to go away on holiday whenever I feel like it… yeah, I've been *scheduled*.
What song is currently stuck in your head?
I can't stop singing Kylie Minogue's Can't Get You Out Of My Head. Honestly. My daughter played it in the car the other day and I was like, "Oh my god, I forgot about this song!" and it's been on repeat in my head since then.
What shows are you watching right now?
Housewives.
Which one?
Sydney! [Laughs].
What's it been like watching yourself?
Awkward. For the first couple of episodes I literally fled the country to Hawaii and I went and camped on a volcano with no reception because I was too scared to watch myself.
You know how girls are. I was like, "Oh my god, my hair, my make-up, my outfit."
Now that we're near the end [and I've watched the show], I'm proud of all of us. I'd never been in front of a camera before, none of us are actresses, there's no NIDA training.
And it's actually a lot harder than acting because there's no take two, it's very raw. Whatever comes out of your mouth is there forever. And we filmed for hundreds of hours.
I wasn't a fan of reality TV before, but now I have a whole new level of respect for it, because you're putting yourself out there and there's no image control.
Had you seen any of the other Real Housewives series before going on RHOS?
I knew of [them]… but I've never actually watched [another RH] series to this day.
Do you think that will change?
Oh my god, it's quite encompassing. So, to engage in another series and their drama … I don't have the emotional bandwidth for that. I'm holding on for dear life just trying to get through ours, let alone take on some other series.
Such a big contrast between you and Dr Kate, who recently told the ABC she's seen every RH aside from Dubai.
Yeah… Kate is *very* focused.
What's the last photo you took and can we see it?
It's from the TikTok Awards. We took a lot of photos!
How many books have you read and finished this year so far?
Unfortunately none, I've been far too busy. But I am a very avid reader, I've read hundreds and hundreds of books in my life, especially when I was young.
Do you have a favourite book you'd like to share with us?
I do! Tim Robbins's Skinny Legs and All. It's an incredibly well-written book and it was the book that actually articulated things and set the tone for the way I express myself.
What do you do in awkward silences?
I walk away.
What have you learned from the Real Housewives experience?
That there are more good people in the world than bad.
What niche sides of TikTok are you on?
I don't know how to use TikTok.
Wait what, I could have sworn you have an account?
Apparently! I set it up and then when I tried to get back in I forgot my password and I'm just ignoring it now. But at the TikTok Awards, a few people were kind enough to invite me into the office and they're going to teach me how to use TikTok! I would like to use TikTok, I just don't know how.
What are you insecure about?
I think I'm at an age where I no longer have insecurities.
And that's the only thing that's good about getting older; that you care less about what people think.
What advice do you give to that drunk girl crying in the bathroom?
I've given this advice many times and it is, "I don't care what you do, but look good doing it. And this does not look good."
And how do they tend to respond to that?
More crying. [Laughs]
Can you give us the goss on what we can expect from the RHOS reunion?
The goss is we had to be on set at 7am, so … nobody was really … how can I put it? It was early in the morning and we were all in a mood. [Laughs].
What are your best Burning Man tips?
Only… only the tough can go. Yeah… It really pushes your boundaries and it's a place where you get to discover your strengths and weaknesses.
If you make it through, it's like a phoenix rising out of the ashes. It's a place of discovering who you are. And I know everyone goes on about it and it's tedious, but it's a different experience to any other festival because it's about self-discovery, and all of your weaknesses and all of your strengths get magnified.
There's always a disaster out there, whether it's a flood, dust storms, 50-degree heat. So you've got to pull that off and look good and attend every single amazing event that happens over the course of the seven days in extreme conditions and that really shows what you're made of.
Can you describe what being in a RH fight is like?
It's very emotional, because we're all friends.
It feels like they can go on a lot longer than IRL arguments…
In real life it's easier to walk away and not deal with whatever's going on. But on the Housewives, you have to sit and deal with every single situation — and that's been quite educational for me, because I'm a walk away-er. Unless it's really serious, I brush things off.
But problem solving is the height of emotional intelligence. Anybody can get offended, anybody can get upset, anybody can be a bitch, but to be able to resolve that? That's another level.
I'm quick to forgive and forget because you don't forgive to let the other person off, you forgive to release that bad energy from yourself.
When you forgive, you're actually doing it for yourself, not for the other person. There's nothing worse than walking around with unresolved anger. That is highly toxic and bad for your health on all levels.
What's your dog getting for Christmas?
A little Christmas outfit.
Is that maybe more for you than for your dog?
Obviously! Listen, she's not toilet trained, so she's not getting any Christmas treats. I have requested that she please pee and poo outside by Christmas and I'm hoping for the best.
Season two of the Real Housewives of Sydney is airing now.