Celebrity Secrets chats to – Luisa Zissman
Editorial Feature
The entrepreneur and Apprentice TV star on presents, toilet habits and why you never want to troll her on social media…
Luisa, you’ve invested in the greeting cards and gifts business, Silly Sentiments. What was it about the company that made you want to get involved?
“It’s definitely played to my personality and sense of humour. I’ve always been a fan of Filthy Sentiments and loved everything they’ve done. Now that we’ve become Silly Sentiments, we’re able to cover even more of the gifting industry, as it’s a little more appropriate for all!”
What’s one of your favourite cards or gifts from the range?
“I love the pen packs – people always steal mine! They’re just funny to whip out in a meeting. The whole range make perfect Christmas gifts, too, especially the under £10 and under £5 ranges which are great for Secret Santa. If you’re playing it safe with a work colleague, you can get them a nice mug with their picture on or a scratch card advent calendar. You can also personalise so much stuff which makes everything that bit more thoughtful.”
Speaking of Christmas, have you got any plans in place for how and where you’re going to spend the festive season?
“For the first time in my adult life, I will not be cooking! Instead, we’ll head off somewhere lovely in the sunshine. Present-wise, I honestly don’t want anything – I’m really content just spending time with the family, which is present enough for me.”
We can’t help but be a tad jealous of your lifestyle – Monaco one minute, the Maldives the next. Is it all that glam, or is the majority of your time spent in old PJs, make-up free while hunkering down on the sofa?
“I would say it’s 50/50. The majority of the time I’m either in gym clothes, horse-riding attire or PJs. I would say most of the time I’m make-up free and in general, I think I have a pretty lovely mix of fun, work and family in my life.”
Being a celebrity has its ups and downs. What are the perks in your opinion?
“I would say the perks are definitely the opportunities that come with being in the public eye – and I do quite like getting invited to nice things! However, another hugely positive aspect is being able to spread the word about things like the orphanage in Moldova I work with. It’s something that’s very close to my heart. I’m actually going again next month with Sam Faiers – it’s really important to us both to be able to use our profiles to make a difference. Experiences like this are really humbling and outweigh any negatives I can think of.”
So there are no negatives? What about trolling among women when we should be supporting one other?
“To be honest, I don’t get trolled that much. I don’t know if that’s because I do bite back – I will out people if they try to troll me and have done it publicly in the past. I think people tend not to bother because they’ll just end up deleting their comments and profiles. I’m lucky to have a pretty thick skin so trolling is a bit like water off a duck’s back for me.”
We love your involvement with female empowerment and friendship. You yourself have a strong girl gang, including best mates Sam Faiers and Anna Williamson. What’s so great about them – and what would they say in return about you?
“Both Sam and Anna are such great friends because I get to do mum stuff with them and the kids, but we can also go out and party – or we can sit at home in our PJs and eat pizza and drink wine! With Sam we try and keep our friendship fairly private. She’s very generously lending her time and joining me on the next Outreach Moldova trip – she asked me if she could come again as it means a lot to her, and it’s making a huge difference to the charity.”
What about Anna?
“Anna and I get on like a house on fire. We never stop laughing when we’re together and often just look at each other, know we’re thinking the exact same thing and just burst out laughing. For us to have moulded that into the LuAnna brand – we have the podcast, the tour and now the YouTube channel, Everything LuAnna – means we can share our friendship with millions of people! It’s both exciting and brilliant because it doesn’t ever feel like work.”
Tell us more about that YouTube channel – why should our readers tune in?
“I guess to summarise, Everything LuAnna is just a very open, honest conversation between two friends where it feels like you’re in the room with us. Sometimes it gets a bit serious, and we’ll discuss hard-hitting matters, whereas other times we’re laughing about toilet habits! It really encompasses everything a female friendship is about and is truly genuine and relatable. We are who we are, and I think that’s why the brand in general has been so popular. We are so raw – we talk about peeing ourselves, having children, and getting angry with life. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions that people join with us.”
You’re even going on tour together…
“The tour is going to be much of the above and we cannot wait! We’ve had to add more dates because people can’t get enough. Hope to see you there!”
Head over to Silly Sentiments to find your perfect gift, and follow Everything LuAnna to keep up-to-date with Luisa and Anna’s latest happenings. Plus, if you can spare a quid or two – and surely you must be able to – please donate to the Outreach Moldova charity here.
To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email laura@hurstmediacompany.co.uk or editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk
