Roxy Earle, fashion designer and former Real Housewife, with Raghu Kilambi, tech entrepreneur.Courtesy of Roxy Earle and Raghu Kilambi
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Who: Roxy Earle, fashion designer and former Real Housewife; Raghu Kilambi, tech entrepreneur, ConversionPoint
Relationship status: Together since 2013
Location: Toronto/California
Covering the boozy bases
Raghu: We were introduced through a mutual friend and our first date was at George. It’s one of my favourite Toronto restaurants.
Roxy: He didn’t know what I liked to drink, so when I arrived there was a glass of red, white and Champagne in front of my plate.
Raghu: That sounds bad! I think it was just red and Champagne.
Roxy: I loved it. I thought it was really sweet. I think we got to a point where we both felt like we had this great romance, with a lot of potential, but he had two young kids, so nothing really meant anything until I met them. If the family unit didn’t bond, it wasn’t going to work out.
Puppy love
Roxy: Right around the time I was getting to know my two future stepsons, we got Lola, our puppy. I thought that would be a beautiful way to bring our family together – a neutral zone that all of us could love. And boy, was I right!
Raghu: The boys loved Roxy really early on. They don’t have cousins here in Toronto, so Roxy’s brothers and her parents became an extended family. That was lovely to see. For me, as a single parent, it was always about finding someone for all of us. When I proposed, it was with the boys.
Roxy: Oh, my heart! They said, we want you to be Daddy’s wife and our stepmom. At our wedding, they were the best men.
Raghu: When Roxy got the opportunity to be on The Real Housewives of Toronto, I was concerned about invasion of privacy, especially with the kids. These kinds of shows can be vicious. On the other hand, I wanted Roxy to pursue her dreams.
Roxy: All of our friends were like Raghu, don’t let her do this and he’s like, “You think this is a let?” We have a partnership. I think that’s something missing from the conversation about women supporting other women. Women wonder: How do you have it all? And I think the answer to that is have a partner who is invested in those same goals.
Raghu: And she has supported me. I have been mostly in California this year with my new venture. It can be hard to be in separate cities and countries some times, but we make it work. I keep up with Roxy on social media. Last night I finished my day and she was already asleep, so I just watched her Instagram stories to catch up.