Toya Bush-Harris Told Anila Sajja the "Most Important Thing" About Married to Medicine

Before Anila Sajja became the newest Married to Medicine cast member, she was introduced to the series the way most people are: as a fan. During an exclusive interview with Bravo Insider, Anila revealed that she "totally" watched Married to Medicine before joining the show in Season 8.

"Actually, the first episode, the first season, I was hooked on it," Anila, who is married to oculofacial plastic surgeon, Dr. Kiran Sajja, recalled. "I always was like, 'This is my life. Like, I’m married to medicine.' So I kind of could relate to it, in a way. And so, I had interest in just kind of seeing their lives and the story and behind it all."

So imagine Anila's surprise when she discovered that none other than longtime Married to Medicine cast member Toya Bush-Harris was going to be her new neighbor. "So we are building our home in the neighborhood that Toya built her new home. So our builder was showing us the land that he wanted us to build our house on. And he was like, 'I’m building this house that’s like four houses down from yours. Look at it so you can get an idea of how I build homes.' So we were like, 'OK, let’s go check it out,'" Anila said. "We went over there, and Toya happened to be there, like just kind of looking at the construction. So her and I just started talking. We hit it off."

Anila and Toya soon found out they had even more in common. "Right then [we] realized we were both Aries. Kiran laughs at it. But honestly, it means, like, you’re so similar," Anila shared. "When you’re Aries, you are two people that are so alike."

But most importantly, Anila said that she was happy to now know a friendly face in her new neighborhood. "She basically kind of made me feel very welcomed into the neighborhood. She already knew so much about the neighborhood, like different neighbors that I guess she’s been meeting as she has been building her home," Anila explained. "She was so sweet to my kids, I was sweet to her kids, and we just exchanged numbers. And we just started kind of hanging out from that point on." 

"She introduced me to so many people in the neighborhood, which was really nice," Anila added. "And then, you know, I soon got on her tennis team, and we just were seeing each other like on a weekly basis. And it was really nice."

Dr. Kiran told Bravo Insider that both Toya and her husband, Dr. Eugene Harris, helped them settle into their new neighborhood. "She and Eugene were both very welcoming, invited us to their home for dinners and just to hang out, go swimming. Just very nice people," he said. "And it made our upcoming transition going into this neighborhood just that much easier."

Of course, as a Married to Medicine fan, Anila has watched Toya on the show over the years. "She was just so sweet," Anila said of meeting Toya for the first time. "You know, she has her differences with some of the cast mates, but we all have that, right? But really, she was just super sweet. I mean, just like she is really on the show."

In fact, Toya said during a separate interview with Bravo Insider that Anila and Dr. Kiran reminded her of her own early days on Married to Medicine. "To be honest with you, I think Anila and Dr. Kiran are a very energetic couple. They are a lot of fun. They’re gonna bring a very different dynamic to the group because they have a very youthful attitude about them," Toya said. "They’re almost a bit like Eugene and I, a lot of how we were when we first started within the group. You know, we had a lot of issues with the group [laughs] because we were very transparent. And I love the fact that they’re very transparent. That is something that you don’t see on reality TV a lot, and I think that that is one thing that I love about our relationship and that’s something I love about their relationship. You know, they are not afraid to show you their true light and their true story."

Toya said that she is also excited for people to learn about this new couple's background and family, adding that she loves Anila's parents. "Those are great things to bring to the television screen that you just haven’t seen in a while," Toya said. "I welcome them to our cast."

As Anila and Dr. Kiran got ready for their debut to air, Dr. Eugene recalled helping the newest Married to Medicine husband prepare for his new life in the public eye. "Actually, I saw Dr. Kiran in a fast food restaurant. Both of us had just picked up our kids, three weeks ago, and I saw him and I went up to him and I said, 'You ready [laughs]?' He said, 'Ready for what?' I told him, 'Your life’s gonna change.' You know, I was like, you’re not gonna be able to go into this fast food restaurant without people seeing you and hearing people whisper, 'Oh, is that Dr. Kiran [laughs]?'" Dr. Eugene said. "You know, it’s an adjustment that you go from being somebody who kind of walks amongst everyone, kind of gets to mind their business, to somebody who people are paying attention to their business. So, we kind of chit-chatted about that. It’s one of those things that you don’t know how to prepare for."

Dr. Kiran said that he knows that the husbands are on display just as much as the women on the show. "Eugene and myself, we tend to joke a lot, too. So I think we have that in common. So I think that we’ll kind of see during the course of the season a lot more of kind of what the doctors are doing, in addition to what the spouses are doing," he said, adding that fans will see even "more personality" from the men on Married to Medicine this season. "So I think you’ll see how that kind of resonates, not only amongst the cast but also to viewers."

Toya also remembered her and Dr. Eugene giving Anila and Dr. Kiran some advice before they even started filming this season of Married to Medicine. "I said you’re coming into a group of ladies, and I think the most important thing is to be yourself. And don’t change. Now here’s the deal. I can give that advice to someone, but [laughs] it doesn’t mean they’ll take it," Toya said. "But I definitely told her the most important thing, the one thing that I’ve never done, is change. And so hopefully, you know, you can get better on this show and you can become a better version of yourself. But always stay to the core of yourself."

Anila also recalled those wise words from Toya during her and Dr. Kiran's interview with Bravo Insider. "I think she was always, like, just be yourself, and that’s kind of the person I am," Anila shared. "I’m very true to myself, and I think that’s the way people are gonna resonate with me. You know, I am who I am."

Want more Married to Medicine? New episodes air every Sunday at 9/8c or catch up on the Bravo app.