Angel and Marie Reyes. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)
Marie Reyes and her husband, Angel, open up about “The Real Housewives of Dallas”
Marie Reyes is a little nervous about “The Real Housewives of Dallas” premiere on April 11, and who could blame her? She’s an auxiliary cast member but hasn’t seen any of the edited footage. Plus, the producers already threw her one curveball.
“Originally, I was pitched a show that was [about] how women balance family, career and society life,” she explains. “It just kind of evolved into what it is. From the standpoint of the show, I think it’s a great thing that they decided to bring what they filmed under the ‘Housewives’ franchise. It will be a more solid piece of work for the producers.”
She pauses, laughs and adds: “Obviously, I don’t get to have any opinion or control.”
Regardless of the outcome, Reyes swears she enjoyed the process. After all, filming gave her a reason to pal around with two of her real life friends, Tiffany Hendra and LeeAnne Locken. (She met Locken 19 years ago when they both worked as spokesmodels for Peterbilt Motors, so, yeah, they go back.) Reyes’ husband, Angel, says he’s “a little more jaded” about the whole reality TV thing.
“I think that controversy and drama will sell more than people being nice to their friends,” he muses. “I think it’s going to be more, ‘Liar! No you’re a liar! You’re a liar!’ I didn’t get to see all the filming. I was only a part of what they wanted me to be a part of. But I paid attention. And I suspect that if I’m not all right, I’m part right.”
Still, Angel is supportive of his wife and believes the show will be good for her business. Reyes, who has a degree in nursing, owns SkinSpaMED, a “medical spa” that offers Botox, laser hair removal, chemical peels and other beauty treatments. She plans to launch a four-step skin care line called Rags2Riches when the show airs. “I’m a business owner,” she admits. “I want to grow my business.”
She is also a mother. Her 10-year-old daughter, Sofia, attends Hockaday. Somehow Reyes also finds time for charity work. Most recently she and Angel agreed to co-chair the No Tie Dinner & Dessert Party for AIDS Services of Dallas. They even hosted the patron party at their spacious Preston Hollow home last month. Giving back is important to the couple.
“There’s clearly some luck involved when things go right for folks like us,” Angel says. “We didn’t come from any family money. We started our businesses with our own shoestrings so to speak. We’ve been very fortunate and we recognize that fact. As a result, when we get asked to help we tend to say, ‘yes.’ ”
