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Life Uncut

117 Reasons I Don’t Want To Have Kids, Grief, Estrangement & What Hollywood Really Looks Like - Uncut with Ellie Gonsalves

5/28/202656 min

Hey Lifers!

Ellie Gonsalves is an Australian model, actress, podcaster and Wildlife Warriors Ambassador with a collective audience of over 5 million followers. Ellie first rose to prominence in the modelling world and has since built an international career, appearing in major campaigns like superbowl commercials and has transitioned into acting. Ellie has also been very open about some deeply personal experiences like losing her father to suicide, going no contact with her mum and the kind of life she wants to live.

One of the things that sparked huge conversation online was Ellie’s viral list of “117 reasons not to have kids,” a post that challenged expectations around motherhood and opened up a much bigger conversation about choice, pressure and what a fulfilling life can look like.

We chat:

  • Ellie’s excellent driving skills
  • How a Facebook page turned into a Super Bowl commercial and a Hollywood career
  • 17 years with partner and manager Ross
  • The dark side of Hollywood
  • Losing her dad to suicide and the phone call that changed everything
  • Cutting off her mum completely and how she responds when people say "but she's your mum"
  • The viral list — 117 reasons she doesn't want kids — and what she says to people who call it selfish
  • Why moving back to Australia during Covid made her fall back in love with this country

TIMESTAMPS

  • 0:00 — Intro
  • 1:20 — Most embarrassing story
  • 4:18 — Growing up a tomboy, modelling rejections & building a following
  • 8:58 — Getting discovered on Instagram & the Super Bowl commercial
  • 10:15 — 17 years with Ross
  • 12:38 — Filming Fighting with My Family with Dwayne Johnson
  • 14:30 — The viral list: 117 reasons she doesn't want kids
  • 26:39 — Losing her dad
  • 33:08 — Estrangement from her mum
  • 42:25 — Ross as chosen family
  • 45:12 — The reality of Hollywood vs the glamour
  • 49:30 — Falling back in love with Australia

 

You can find everything from Ellie Gonsalves here 

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Hosted by Britt Hockley & Laura Byrne

Produced by Keeshia Pettit

Video produced by Vanessa Beckford & Lachy Pugsley

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clips

The Worst Phone Call
Why I Wrote The List
It’s Your Life, Period
Calling Out Industry Predators
Hollywood’s ‘Carcasses’ Metaphor

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Brittany Hockley· Host0:00

    [upbeat music] Hi, guys, and welcome back to another episode of Life Uncut. I'm Brittany.

  2. Ellie Gonsalves· Guest0:12

    I'm Laura.

  3. Brittany Hockley· Host0:13

    And today's guest is somebody that I'm sure you all know. She is, I don't know, would you say a social media sensation? She's an Australian model, she's an actress, she's a podcaster, she's a wildlife warrior. Huge on Instagram, and I would say maybe one of the OG influencers. I have followed her for a very long time. You have popped up, I feel like you were everywhere. I'm talking about the one and only Elle Gonzalez.

  4. Ellie Gonsalves· Guest0:38

    Whoa.

  5. Brittany Hockley· Host0:39

    [imitates alarm] Hello.

  6. Ellie Gonsalves· Guest0:40

    Hi.

  7. Brittany Hockley· Host0:41

    Now, a lot of people might know you from being an OG model and Instagram influencer, but you went viral a couple of years ago, which we ended up interviewing you on the radio. But you went viral for this list that you made- Yeah ... 117 reasons why- Yeah ... you were not gonna have kids.

  8. Ellie Gonsalves· Guest0:58

    Yes.

  9. Brittany Hockley· Host0:58

    And that sort of went around the world, and we're gonna unpack that a little bit today, but we're also gonna talk about a lot of other things, 'cause you are a really interesting story. Not only did you move over to LA and you were in Hollywood, you have been estranged from your mum.

  10. Ellie Gonsalves· Guest1:11

    Mm-hmm.

  11. Brittany Hockley· Host1:11

    You talk a lot about grief after losing your father.

  12. Ellie Gonsalves· Guest1:14

    Yeah.

  13. Brittany Hockley· Host1:14

    And we're, we're gonna delve into the whole thing. So welcome to the show.

  14. Ellie Gonsalves· Guest1:18

    Thank you. What life would you like to start with?

  15. Brittany Hockley· Host1:19

    I, I was like, you're a mixed bag.

  16. Ellie Gonsalves· Guest1:21

    I have... I'm like a cat with nine lives.

  17. Brittany Hockley· Host1:22

    [laughs] [laughs] You are. I wanna start where we always start, and that is your most embarrassing story.

  18. Ellie Gonsalves· Guest1:28

    Oh, Jesus.

  19. Brittany Hockley· Host1:28

    Do you have one for us?

  20. Ellie Gonsalves· Guest1:29

    I, I actually

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