It’s not all fun and games! Naomie Olindo broke down what it’s really like to film Southern Charm and the toll it took on her body ahead of season 8’s premiere.
The 29-year-old reality star dished on how she balances the partying and drinking aspect of filming with a healthy lifestyle during the Monday, February 7, episode of the “Dabble Co.” podcast.
“If you film four days a week, five days a week, most people drink while they’re filming because it’s already so awkward. When you drink then you get hungrier,” Olindo revealed, calling herself a “swollen sausage” after shooting scenes for season 8. “It’s about trying to make up for it with other good habits. I’m not going to not work out and then do three other bad things. It’s just balance.”
The L’Abeye founder first appeared on the Bravo series during season 3 while she was dating castmate Craig Conover. The pair’s ups and downs played out for multiple seasons ahead of their 2017 split. Olindo exited the show after season 6 in 2020, but Us Weekly exclusively confirmed in September 2021 that she was returning for the upcoming eighth season.
On Monday, the Blueprint to Breakup cofounder dished on how she’s navigated the limelight for so long, revealing that she very rarely gets upset by strangers’ comments about her life.
“There have been two times that I’ve been really hurt by something someone said and it was people that I knew personally,” she told the podcast listeners. “It crushed me.”
Olindo — who is newly single after splitting from Metul Shah in July 2021 amid cheating allegations — also broke down how she stays in shape despite having such a hectic schedule.
“I just adjust to whatever my lifestyle is at the time. If I’m traveling a lot, I try to curb sweets and bad food because I know I’m going to be drinking,” she explained. “It’s just a balance. I don’t really restrict anything. I try to eat intuitively. I don’t always succeed. No one does.”
The College of Charleston alum expressed concern with the unrealistic beauty expectations and fitness goals that are put on women. As a public figure, she tries to be as transparent as possible, even if she doesn’t share every part of her life online.
“I’m so happy for J. Lo.,” Olindo said, commenting on how Jennifer Lopez has managed to remain so fit at age 52. “What I have a problem with is normal women are looking at that like, ‘S–t, I’m not aging well because look at J. Lo, she doesn’t do anything. She’s using olive oil and I am not, and I don’t look like that. What is wrong with me?’”
The Bravo star added: “Unless you have the best team of the best everything, you’re not going to [look like Jennifer].”
Scroll down to see all of Olindo wellness tips and tricks revealed on the podcast — and how her Southern Charm antics led to zipper problems: