The first season of Real Housewives of Melbourne had wrapped and she was at the centre of unexpected drama. It was more drama than she’d ever anticipated and it had affected her deeply.“I had no idea, I went in a bit naive and a bit raw to be honest,’’ Liano says.“I think when you go into reality TV or do something that brings you a profile and you haven’t had one it’s a big adjustment. I think I didn’t really turn my mind to that part of it when I signed on the first season. It was a bit of a shock and I thought it would go under the radar and so when it got lots of attention I remember being a bit overwhelmed.“I wasn’t that familiar with the franchise so I was a bit shocked when I saw it all unfolding. I was quite distraught and off camera it was not easy to switch off.”What changed her mind and convinced her to continue were two things: a chat with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump and the support of an intensely loyal fan base.The impeccably blinged-up barrister was the epitome of a Real Housewife – she only stepped out with a face full of make-up and with a sartorial style that left even the equally well-heeled in awe. But she was suddenly in foreign territory.Her feud with Liberty Belle skin centre owner Andrea Moss had run deep and was the major feisty storyline of the debut series, culminating in accusations Liano used the c-word.“Lisa Vanderpump said to stick with it and make it work,’’ Liano says.“I had so many defending me and that’s why I did season two.“At the end of season one my audience saved me. They went in to bat for me, there were people defending my integrity and I was so grateful.“I thought, I’ve struck a chord with the audience, and there were people I went to school with who said, ‘she’s not like that’. It really helped me.”Amid the whirlwind of attention, Moss quit the show. And it dawned on Liano how much life had changed. She had never planned to be a public figure.She was in her mid 40s, working hard as a barrister on child abuse cases and was a doting mother to two sons, Christos and Myles.She had recovered from a bowel cancer diagnosis at age 36 and endured a year of chemotherapy and radiation before undergoing surgery.Her sisters, Bettina and Teresa, are part of fashion royalty and she has two younger brothers, Ben and Oscar.They had a modest upbringing in Brighton and she credits the nuns at Star of the Sea College with giving her the courage to persist with her studies after her mother and father separated.“It’s a funny thing, I’m just a normal person working, looking after kids and who survived cancer,’’ Liano says.“I know I can be funny and a bit naughty, but not mean or cruel.“I was always told by people I could be a comedian with my personality. “(Executive producer) Lisa (Potasz) went into my sister Teresa’s shop, TL Woods, and she told her, ‘Gina can make you laugh and cry all in the one sentence’. Humour has always been my coping mechanism. And then an opportunity came up, that was 2012, and I got offered the role on Housewives.”Liano continued on the series for several more years and through that time her profile and resume rapidly grew.She wrote an autobiography, created and released three fragrances, a jewellery range, a line of shoes, a tanning range, appeared on Celebrity Apprentice in 2015, landed a part on Neighbours and also joined Cinderella the pantomime as the wicked stepmother.She also became a marriage celebrant and was considered to be in the top echelon of the “A-list” on the event scene, with a growing social media base and online presence.“It took me a couple of years to get my head around it because I’m quite a private person,’’ Liano says. “It sort of doesn’t make sense that I did something like that. It’s a big responsibility when you have a public profile, a lot of people come to you for help or support. “They want your attention and I didn’t know what it would be like and I took the role on with responsibility. I felt responsible for the impact I had on people so there was a lot of pressure there. It was all worthwhile and I had absolutely no regrets.“The first season was the highest rating in the history of Foxtel, apart from sport. It was very unexpected, really. There was nothing to say that it would be such a smash hit and be so popular. Anything you do you go into hoping there’s success and it’s positive. And it was entertaining and we had a fantastic audience.”The drama continued with all the ladies and she shared a unique relationship with each – Chyka Keebaugh, Pettifleur Berenger, Janet Roach, Jackie Gillies, Lydia Schiavello, Gamble Breaux, Venus Behbahani-Clark, Susie McLean and Sally Bloomfield, who also lasted just one season after clashing with Liano.“Season one I was scary, I looked like I got dropped into a vat of crayon,’’ Liano says.“Everyone knew they were there to entertain so they’d bring it.“It wasn’t manufactured, no one told me to pull a compact out and powder my nose.“It got mean and tricky at times but never nasty. Even with me telling Pettifleur off, she was forgiving and you’d never really talk to someone like that.“I had always embraced new cast members but Sally was a bit short on storylines and one night she created drama with me. I was quite surprised and disappointed which is why I couldn’t embrace her.“There was genuine warmth there with everyone, though. With Jackie, we’re two European girls having a crack, and it was entertaining.“I have no hard feelings for anyone and we all did our best at the time.”This year came the bombshell announcement Liano and fellow original Housewife Schiavello wouldn’t be part of series five, which had been delayed due to Covid. Four new cast members were joining the show but everyone wondered why arguably the show’s biggest star would walk away?She says it wasn’t an easy decision to make.“We had a lot of fun filming, I’ve got very fond memories of all of it and all the girls and the production crew,’’ Liano says.“But when season five got cancelled last year I threw myself into my career and when they spoke to me about the new series I thought, I can’t take six months off my practice, it’s just too destructive. So I just thought now I’ll focus on my career, I’ve been a barrister since 1999, it’s enough.“My sister got cancer, I had separated from my partner (Dean Giannarelli), I had moved house and my father died the weekend before filming started on season four so that was tough. I still felt I had so much more to give and there were things I was going to get involved with.“It was all worthwhile and I had absolutely no regrets. The timing was right.”Liano, 55, has built such a strong reputation — you can’t google her name without the word Housewives appearing — but she is content in her life now.She lives with her three dogs, Noodles, Chewie and Ninja, and devotes all of her time and energy to her cases. Her son Christos is 31 and lives with his girlfriend while Myles, 24, is working in production and manufacturing. She is happy.“I have just got on with life and I don’t feel like I’ve missed out,’’ she says.“I’m left to my own devices and pursuing my career and I’ve always been busy.“I have no doubt if Covid hadn’t hit I’d be doing more outside of law.“I still put on make-up every day, the show was an authentication representation in that regard.”It remains to be seen if the new Housewives series lives up to the hype. The four new faces – Simone Elliott, Anjali Rao, Cherry Dipiertrantonio and Kyla Kirkpatrick – are reportedly bringing the drama to the new series premiering on Foxtel in October.If a fresh spark is needed, there is a light flickering. The Australian franchise’s most famous name has left the door slightly ajar to allow for wearing the stilettos again.“It was a long, protracted, very hard decision to not go back,’’ Liano says. “I loved doing the show and I loved all the people I met and my followers were gorgeous and fantastic and I had some great opportunities. To step back was a big decision for me so it would have to be an even bigger decision for me to go back.”
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