Louise Roe kicked off her career with an internship at Elle Magazine and in just a handful of years she has become one of the hottest TV presenters.
She is all set to front a new show for E! called Perfect Catch with Carmen Electra. I caught up with her to talk about the new show, how she is finding her new career path and what lies ahead for her.
- So you are involved in E! Entertainment’s new show Perfect Catch so can you tell me a little bit about it?
It’s a brand new show that E has done and it’s a reality show slash dating slash fashion and style and it’s all set in the Greek islands, so it was a dream come true because I hadn’t even been to Greece. We did seven islands in a month; each episode is set on a different island, so it was incredible scenery and a very hectic schedule as well.
We have got eight contestants from around the world, mainly Aussies, Americans and Brits, all good looking and gorgeous and they have to find their perfect catch on each island, whether it be a good looking person or a funny person of a clever person.
They are bought before myself, Carmen Electra and Marcellas Reynolds, the other hosts, and we judge them and it’s all very dramatic and funny and there are lots of challenges for them to do. It was very funny and lots of laughs.
- How did you get involved with the show and what is your role in the show?
I’m one of the judges and I set their tasks and when they come back with their catch I judge them and tell them what I think, I am brutally honest which is always fun.
I got involved because I came to LA in January to work with E on their fashion programmes and red carpet events; I had done a couple o pilots for them for makeover shows, so they called me up and asked me to be on the show which is great.
- And you are working alongside Carmen Electra so what is she like to work with?
She is lovely, really sweet, really smiley and absolutely gorgeous. She’s a really nice girl yeah.
- Now the show is shot in Greece sounds like not a bad days work.
All my friends were like ‘Are you joking? That’s not a job’ (laughs). And it was amazing we got to stay in some pretty spectacular mountain side hotels and things.
It was full on and I didn’t go out for dinner once at a Greek restaurant because we were filming a lot so it wasn’t as much larking about as possible, that being said I did get to lie on a few beach lounges and drink a couple of Margaritas so it was pretty fun at the same time.
- You began your career at Elle magazine so what was it that drew you to fashion journalism?
I always wanted to be a journalist and write, my dad is a travel journalist, and I saw the world through he eyes and it can be pretty fun and pretty glamorous, you get the odd trip, and I saw that as a young girl and thought that would be fun.
So I did English Literature at university, by then I had done enough work experience on fashion magazines to know that I loved the fashion side and the celebrity interviews. So I had an internship lined up at Elle for the week after, I actually started the same day as the current editor Lorraine Candy started, and she was so nice to me there was none of that Devil Wears Prada bitchiness people always assume.
It just kind of went from there I went to In Style as an assistant and a stint at Wedding Magazine and TV sort of came by accident I ended up on BBC Breakfast when my editor was too nervous to do it and I really enjoyed it and got a couple of calls from producers which led to The Clothes Show. So it’s all just fallen into place really which is great.
- Well that leads me into my next question really it wasn’t long before you were drawn into TV so how did you find the transition from magazine writing to in front of the camera?
It’s weird because I never thought about doing TV but I felt very at ease in font of a camera and the adrenaline buzz, I still love live TV more than doing recorded stuff. But it wasn’t like I was trained for it but I suppose doing lots of interviews I’m used to approaching people I don’t know and celebrities, I’m confident as a person anyway, so it was quite a natural progression.
I think having the writing as a backbone really helps because, to be honest, when you walk into a room with producers now I think they look at you differently because I can write I have done columns. I love both but I don’t ever want to give up the writing.
- Is TV now where you would like your career to head towards, back to magazines, both? And how have your aspirations changed over recent years?
I definitely following the TV thing more than the writing, I moved to LA for it essentially and that’s where it’s all at, so if I had to choose now it would be TV. But I never want t give up writing as I say, when you are old and wrinkly you can still be bashing out columns, but it’s definitely a career aspiration to write a book, non fiction actually a city style guide or something like that because I do travel so much and I’m always nicking little cards out of boutiques and restaurants and writing in my diary names and roads that I think are cool.
Another aspiration is to also do a clothing line, which is very cliché I know, but I have done a huge mood book, I’m obsessed with the 1970’s and Bridget Bardot and Mia Farrow, so that’s definitely something that I want to do.
- Your work in fashion has seen you on many a red carpet so, in terms of a style perspective, who always get it right/wrong and why?
I actually like girls who have a bit more of a seventies feel and Nicole Richie has it, that quite laid back feel, it never looks like she tries too hard. There’s a French actress Lou Doillon, she also a designer, she’s amazing.
Who gets it wrong? There are obvious choices like Britney but Angelina Jolie I’m always awww because she is so beautiful and it’s always black, sometime too vampy like that leather dress.
She wears quite plain Jane clothes during the day and then on the red carpet goes nuts and I just think it’s not her natural style, obviously it’s the stylist that puts her in something, and I think you should be more comfortable in your clothes.
- Christmas is just around the corner so that means lot of parties what should every girl be wearing this festive season?
Well I’m about to go to a party tonight in a pair of yellow cycling shorts with zips all over them which wouldn’t be my recommendation, I’m terrified that I’m going to be crucified, but they are made by the designer who is throwing the party and I promised I would wear them. I’ll let you know how that goes down (laughs).
Other than that I think that the one shoulder is still in trend, it’s just that little bit more glamorous than you average safe party dress. Lace is really huge for the Christmas season I also would press girls to buy a cape because that is the first thing that everyone sees.
In winter when you walk into a restaurant or an office that is your first impression and you do get judged by people in the first eight seconds so you need to make a statement with your coat. So for those who by, grey of black coats why don’t you think about a bright little dress coat? That would be my tip.
- And what about the spring season what should we be looking forward to?
There were lots of romper suits, shorts romper suits, back on the runway, Hannah Marshall had this gorgeous lavender colour that I just loved.
Also the big shoulders again but I think blazers that are done in quite a thin fabric, TopShop have got them in already, so it’s like a cross between a cardy and a structured blazer and just a really killer shoe is my trans-season tip just wear a more basic outfit with a really bright high, amazing shoe.
- Finally what’s next for you?
I am shooting a show for E! in the States and then it’s awards season January to March and I will be covering that for E! so lots for E! Then I do Vogue TV in New York, which is an online channel, so I’m really busy.
I have just done an Adidas campaign, that’s coming out in the spring, for England as well as America so I need to get fit if I’m going to be the face of Adidas (laughs).
See Louise Roe on Perfect Catch premiering on Sunday 1st November at 10.30pm only on E! Entertainment Television (Sky: 151/ Virgin Media: 156).
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Louise Roe kicked off her career with an internship at Elle Magazine and in just a handful of years she has become one of the hottest TV presenters.
She is all set to front a new show for E! called Perfect Catch with Carmen Electra. I caught up with her to talk about the new show, how she is finding her new career path and what lies ahead for her.
- So you are involved in E! Entertainment’s new show Perfect Catch so can you tell me a little bit about it?
It’s a brand new show that E has done and it’s a reality show slash dating slash fashion and style and it’s all set in the Greek islands, so it was a dream come true because I hadn’t even been to Greece. We did seven islands in a month; each episode is set on a different island, so it was incredible scenery and a very hectic schedule as well.
We have got eight contestants from around the world, mainly Aussies, Americans and Brits, all good looking and gorgeous and they have to find their perfect catch on each island, whether it be a good looking person or a funny person of a clever person.
They are bought before myself, Carmen Electra and Marcellas Reynolds, the other hosts, and we judge them and it’s all very dramatic and funny and there are lots of challenges for them to do. It was very funny and lots of laughs.
- How did you get involved with the show and what is your role in the show?
I’m one of the judges and I set their tasks and when they come back with their catch I judge them and tell them what I think, I am brutally honest which is always fun.
I got involved because I came to LA in January to work with E on their fashion programmes and red carpet events; I had done a couple o pilots for them for makeover shows, so they called me up and asked me to be on the show which is great.
- And you are working alongside Carmen Electra so what is she like to work with?
She is lovely, really sweet, really smiley and absolutely gorgeous. She’s a really nice girl yeah.
- Now the show is shot in Greece sounds like not a bad days work.
All my friends were like ‘Are you joking? That’s not a job’ (laughs). And it was amazing we got to stay in some pretty spectacular mountain side hotels and things.
It was full on and I didn’t go out for dinner once at a Greek restaurant because we were filming a lot so it wasn’t as much larking about as possible, that being said I did get to lie on a few beach lounges and drink a couple of Margaritas so it was pretty fun at the same time.
- You began your career at Elle magazine so what was it that drew you to fashion journalism?
I always wanted to be a journalist and write, my dad is a travel journalist, and I saw the world through he eyes and it can be pretty fun and pretty glamorous, you get the odd trip, and I saw that as a young girl and thought that would be fun.
So I did English Literature at university, by then I had done enough work experience on fashion magazines to know that I loved the fashion side and the celebrity interviews. So I had an internship lined up at Elle for the week after, I actually started the same day as the current editor Lorraine Candy started, and she was so nice to me there was none of that Devil Wears Prada bitchiness people always assume.
It just kind of went from there I went to In Style as an assistant and a stint at Wedding Magazine and TV sort of came by accident I ended up on BBC Breakfast when my editor was too nervous to do it and I really enjoyed it and got a couple of calls from producers which led to The Clothes Show. So it’s all just fallen into place really which is great.
- Well that leads me into my next question really it wasn’t long before you were drawn into TV so how did you find the transition from magazine writing to in front of the camera?
It’s weird because I never thought about doing TV but I felt very at ease in font of a camera and the adrenaline buzz, I still love live TV more than doing recorded stuff. But it wasn’t like I was trained for it but I suppose doing lots of interviews I’m used to approaching people I don’t know and celebrities, I’m confident as a person anyway, so it was quite a natural progression.
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