Diana Jenkins introduced herself on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and fans aren't feeling her similarities to OG alum, Lisa Vanderpump. Diana shared her rags to riches story after being born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and fleeing her home country during the siege of Sarajevo. After migrating to London, Diana was able to enjoy a lavish lifestyle after marrying her ex-husband, British financier and former international athlete, Roger Jenkins. Now in her 40s, Diana has a boyfriend years younger than her, and is raising their infant baby. She has two adult children from her previous marriage.
The entrepreneur and philanthropist is so used to living a life of luxury that Diana has no idea what shopping outlets are. She explained how designers typically send pieces to her home for her to choose from. "I keep what I like, and I send back what I don’t like, and then I pay for it," she explained during a confessional. While the RHOBH ladies are known for being the ritziest among the Housewives community, it's been a while since the franchise has seen a woman of Diana's wealth and stature flaunt her lavish lifestyle on the show. With her European background, Diana has been getting comparisons to the show's British OG, Lisa Vanderpump.
Diana faced the most criticism when she admitted to Crystal Kung Minkoff that she didn't know what a shopping outlet was. When The Peach Report shared screenshots of the scene on Twitter, fans were quick to call out the newbie. "At one point Diana was gutter broke. Super poor. She told us this," one viewer noted, while questioning how the new housewife could claim she never knew what an outlet is. Others were taken aback by how Diana claimed to not know how to shop at a store. "Why is she acting like she was born into money?" one fan asked. While Diana's posh onscreen persona is similar to how Lisa Vanderpump presented herself on the show, many viewers aren't a fan of the behavior. "I prefer the Kathy Hilton eccentric wealthy woman vibe more than this Diana “I grew up with nothing and married rich so I dont need to be humble” wealthy vibe," Cody Lew tweeted.
While viewers aren't against Diana being wealthy and living a lavish lifestyle, many are bothered by her presenting herself as more elite than others, despite coming from extremely humble beginnings. Diana shared some of the details about her pricey way of living. In addition to having designers send items to her home for her to peruse, Diana also travels different than the average person. She explained how she sends out her team beforehand to check the location, to be sure it's up to her high standards prior to her arrival. “Safety, views, bedding and sheets, and general coziness, so everywhere I go, it feels like home," Diana said, as noted by Bravo. Diana's level of living hasn't been seen on the show since Lisa appeared.
With Kathy Hilton just being a friend, who was busy planning Paris Hilton's wedding during filming for Season 12, the fellow entrepreneur and philanthropist wasn't around to give Diana a run for her money. Diana appears to be the new lavish queen on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Considering all the criticism she's receiving so early on, Diana appears to have all the qualities of a standout housewife, if she can stand the test of time. Diana appears to be embracing her new villain role.
Sources: The Peach Report/Twitter, Cody Lew/Twitter