Bravo Real Housewives stars
A “Real Housewives” star teased that her long career is in its final stages.
For 11 years, Cynthia Bailey was a main star on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” In October 2021, Bailey told Entertainment Tonight she had felt the time was right to make her exit from the show.
“Honestly, I have had a good run,” she told the outlet. “It has been 11 years, and it was just time, and I think not only was it time, it was the right time.”
With her reign as a Housewives star now done, Bailey surprised fans by signing on to “Celebrity Big Brother,” where she landed in third place.
The 55-year-old mom of one started out as a model, and with reality star and businesswoman also already under her belt, she is eyeing one more career goal before calling it quits for good.
Cynthia Bailey Teased She’s In the Final Stage of Her Career
CBSCynthia Bailey on ‘Celebrity Big Brother.’
Bailey did log a few small acting roles early in her career, but in the past year, she has expanded her resume to bigger roles. According to IMDb, in 2022 alone she has appeared in several TV movies and miniseries including “Games People Play,” “Single Drunk Female,” “Cruel Instruction,” The Stepmother” and “Terror Lake” – and she’s not done yet.
In an interview with Page Six, Bailey described her acting as her “last chapter,” career-wise.
“This was the intentional next step for me,” she told the outlet. “This is the next chapter. And not only is it the next chapter, it’s the last chapter, OK?”
“You guys had Cynthia Bailey the model, you guys got to follow Cynthia Bailey the reality star. Now you guys are going to get to see Cynthia Bailey the actress,” she said. “And what’s happening after that? Nothing. This is it. I’m a 55-year-old woman in full pre-menopause! This is it, OK?”
Bailey didn’t give an exact timeline for when she plans to completely retire, but she did tease that she wants to snag a few roles outside of her “wheelhouse.”
Bailey Admitted She Was Nervous About Being an Over-50 Actress
BravoHE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA — Season:12 — Pictured: Cynthia Bailey
Bailey previously admitted that she was nervous about starting a new career later in life. In June 2022, she told The Wrap that walking away from a guaranteed gig like “Real Housewives” did make her take pause.
“When I walked away from ‘Housewives,’ I’m a woman of a certain age, I’m a Black woman, who just turned 55 years old in the ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ house this year,” she said. “This is a young industry, the entertainment industry is pretty much for young people, for the most part. So there was a little bit of doubt in my mind, like, ‘Oh, wow, I hope this works out,’”
Based on her resume, it does seem to be working out.
“I didn’t think doors would open up as quickly as they did,” the RHOA alum admitted to Essence. “I kind of feel like I need a break, to be honest. It’s been overwhelmingly amazing, the response that I’ve gotten and the opportunities coming my way.”
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