10 Things You Didn't Know About Carole Radziwill’s Adventure-Filled Life
The #RHONY author has lived up to her “all play and no work” tagline.
We love to watch Carole Radziwill on The Real Housewives of New York City because she always has some unbelievably true anecdote about her life to entertain us with — from globetrotting as a journalist for ABC News to hanging out with John F. Kennedy, Jr. (who was the cousin of her late husband Anthony Radziwill) to dating the George Clooney. And all of that happened even before she became a Real Housewife.
But those aren’t even the most extraordinary things about Carole. The RHONY star’s life has taken her on so many adventures that there’s probably plenty you still don’t know about one of the coolest and most enigmatic Housewives ever. Check out these 10 little-known facts about Carole, and you’re sure to fall in love with her all over again.
1. She's a native New Yorker.
Housewives aren't always originally from the cities they have come to famously represent, but Carole was in fact born and raised in New York — about an hour north of the city in a town called Suffern. Hot spots included your typical icons of American suburbia: the drive-in movie theater, the Carvel ice cream shop, and the pizza place, as Carole described on her website.
2. She had humble beginnings.
Growing up, Carole's life was pretty different from the fabulous one she leads now filled with parties, designer clothes, and a two-story apartment. Carole was your typical kid growing up in the '70s, joining the Girl Scouts, playing the flute in band, and doing gymnastics. Her parents sometimes worked two jobs to support the family. Carole was also a workingwoman from an early age, earning money by babysitting, serving fast food at Wendy's, and helping customers at Caldor's department store. But the bright lights of the Big Apple eventually drew Carole in when she chose to attend Hunter College on the Upper East Side, and her life would never be the same after that.
3. She could be in a royal rumble with Luann de Lesseps.
Move over, Countess Luann! There's another royal in town, and this one's got a higher title than you, we're afraid. Carole's late husband Anthony Radziwill was the son of Polish Prince Stanislas Albert Radziwill. That would make Carole a princess, even if she doesn't advertise her title as often as some people we know.
4. She and Anthony met in the least romantic way possible.
The fact that Carole married a real-live prince seems like something out of a rom-com. However, the moment Carole first met Anthony is like the most awkward meet-cute ever. Carole and Anthony first met when ABC News sent them to cover the case of brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, who infamously murdered their parents in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. It's definitely one of the stranger responses to the question, "So how did you two meet?" But then again, Carole never follows the crowd.
5. She means business.
Carole has dedicated the majority of her career to journalism, but she may be an entrepreneur at heart. She earned an MBA from New York University, which makes us think if she ever wanted to give writing a rest and start promoting a new venture like her RHONY cast mates, she would totally be a boss.
6. You'll definitely recognize her exes.
Everyone loves Carole, so it's no surprise that she has attracted some of the most eligible bachelors in Hollywood. Carole previously revealed on RHONY that she once dated none other than George Clooney. She also said she had a fling with Ralph Fiennes one summer while living in London — he even inspired a scene in Carole's novel The Widow's Guide to Sex & Dating, she told Us Weekly last year. Carole's hot current boyfriend Adam Kenworthy has also become something of a celebrity after starring at the center of some major drama between Carole and Luann this season of RHONY. Carole sure does know how to pick 'em.
7. She has a need for speed.
Carole is usually laid-back, so you might be surprised to learn that she is actually a speed demon. "I like my cars fast," Carole wrote about her experience at a NASCAR race at Virginia's Martinsville Speedway in an essay for Departures published last year. She also admitted to once getting into trouble for driving more than 100 miles per hour on the Long Island Expressway! But that actually just might be how Carole rolls. "My relationships in life sometimes mirror my relationships with cars — fast, bumpy rides," she once wrote.
8. Her contacts are full of famous friends.
Carole with Scandal stars Dan Bucatinsky and Katie Lowes
As one of the stars of RHONY, Carole obviously has a high-profile group of girlfriends, but you've probably heard of some of her other pals as well. These include journalist Christiane Amanpour, fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez, and the late legendary filmmaker Mike Nichols. She's also been seen cozying up to Scandal star Dan Bucatinsky on more than one occasion. If you were a Gladiator like Carole, wouldn't you do the same?
9. She's naturally thin.
We don't ever see Carole participate in one of Ramona's intense workout seshes on RHONY, so how does she stay so petite? Just by being herself. "My body doesn't change too much. I'm the same exact weight as I was in eleventh grade of high school," Carole told ELLE in an interview published earlier this month. "Even if I eat a lot, I don't gain weight. And if I don't eat, I don't lose weight. It's just flat." It sure sounds like Carole hit the metabolism jackpot.
10. She shares a dog with Meghan King Edmonds' brother.
Carole may have dined with Yolanda Foster and Brandi Glanville from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills during Season 6 of RHONY, but she's got an even stronger connection to the California girls of The Real Housewives of Orange County. She's raising her adorable pup Baby with model RJ King, who also just happens to be the brother of RHOC star Meghan Edmonds. And if you're not following Baby's wonderful adventures on Instagram, you need to fix that ASAP.
