NICOLE WILLIAMS
From onscreen WAG to real-life wife
From onscreen WAG to real-life wife Heléne Ramackers
When Nicole Williams said ‘I do’ to Larry English, she knew she had evolved from onscreen WAG to a real-life wife. She spoke exclusively to Upscale Living magazine about the best day of her life, her four-legged children and her booming swimwear business.
Nicole, tell us a bit about your formative years. You were born in Newfoundland, and finally you are living the good life in Los Angeles. What are your most precious memories of the different places where you lived?
My move to Toronto was the biggest move for me, because I was leaving a small town in Newfoundland and moving to a big city. That was when I was signed with NEXT Modeling Agency. From there I moved to New York by myself, away from my family. I had my first apartment in Brooklyn, where I slept on an air mattress and had no furniture for a year. That was a major point in my career and modeling really took off for me. I met Larry in Los Angeles, and still kept my apartment in NYC because I thought I would eventually move back. But we ended up getting serious and bought a house together.
Why the move and what were your first impressions of Los Angeles?
I had no intention of moving to Los Angeles; I really didn’t like the thought of it. But, I was always traveling there for work. NEXT LA asked me to stay for two months, to book consistent work. It was during that time that I met Larry. Looking back, I was kind of ‘tricked’ into living here, it was never my intention.
How did you and Larry (English) meet and when did you start dating?
We met in the winter of 2011 at a mutual friend’s birthday party in LA. We became friends and started hanging out every weekend. Larry would drive in from San Diego; he was playing for the Chargers then. We got a lot closer, and maybe around April 2012 we started getting more serious. I started thinking about giving up my apartment, and then he asked me to live with him.
When and how did you realize he was ‘the one’?
I realized he was ‘the one’ after the first six months we started dating more seriously. He was my friend first, and I had never dated anybody that I felt like I could hang out with all the time. He knew all my friends, and everyone loved him. It was different than anything I have ever experienced before.
Without stating the obvious – he is really handsome – what attracted you to him?
Larry’s athletic build was the first thing I noticed. He was wearing a tight white T-shirt when I saw him. The second thing I noticed was his amazing smile. I love it when a guy smiles and it’s pretty.
When and how did he propose?
Everyone who watched WAGS saw my proposal on television, which was very special, because now I can always look back at that moment. I was on a girl’s trip in Thailand and he showed up unexpectedly. The engagement was almost called off, because I couldn’t get hold of him during the time he was on the flight. When he landed, he had a lot of mean messages from me. I really let him have it. He ended up forgiving me and surprised me with a beautiful proposal.
Congratulations on your wedding last year. You looked like a princess in your Michael Costello dress and Larry looked very dapper in his attire. What made you decide which designer to pick?
There was no question I was going with Michael. He’s one of my very close friends. I trust him to make me look beautiful. We talked for years abut designing my dress, always joking about when Larry would propose.
Talk us through one of the most special days of your life. And don’t leave out any details.
Our wedding was all captured on film, so we’ll always get to see exactly how it all happened which is amazing! Larry and I got married in Laguna Beach at the Montage. We said our vows to each other while the sun was setting over the amazing view of the ocean with an orchestra playing Céline Dion. After the ceremony, all the guests had cocktails around a bonfire on the cliffside. Our reception had a beautiful white dance floor with our initials on it. We had a live band playing covers of the hottest songs at the time. We had Avant Garden do our amazing flowers and centerpieces, which were all white flowers to accentuate the dance floor. We had a 7-tier white marble cake from Belladonna Sweets. I had two dress changes, three gowns all done by Michael Costello. Our first dance was to New Edition’s “Can you Stand The Rain”, surrounded by our bridesmaids doing choreography. I tossed my bouquet, we did a garter toss, and then one of my best friends, Christina Milian did a surprise performance to her song “Dip it Low”. Tendaji Lathan was our incredible DJ. The night wasn’t long enough, and I wish I could do it again because it flew by. My friends and family flew in from Canada and all over the world. It was amazing to have all of my loved ones in the same room for this magical evening. And I can’t forget to mention that my dog babies, Jasmine and Ace opened the wedding ceremony. That was very special to me.
One year as a married couple. Has there been a shift in your relationship and how do you deal with conflict?
Our relationship has shifted a little. Now we don’t bicker about when we’re going to get married; now we bicker about small stuff like leaving a glass on the sink. We laugh about it! We always say, “wow that’s a real married couple argument”. Now we’re more ready to talk about our future, family, and growing. We’re building together now.
It looked like a lot of fun to film WAGS. But then there were also challenging times with some of the ladies not getting along. Was that very stressful and how did you resolve issues amongst each other?
It was definitely stressful. When they bring in new girls, and you don’t know each other, it’s difficult to be rushed to get to know someone. It was sometimes definitely a bit awkward. Not everyone on the show gets along. If someone doesn’t get along with my best friends, then it’s difficult for me to be around those people. I did my best to be authentic and real and not play things up for TV.
Are there some of the ladies who have become long-time friends with you that you share a special bond with?
I’ve known Natalie, Olivia, and Sasha before we started the show, but I do have a special bond with Barbie, who I’m still friends with today.
You have the most incredible figure! How do you stay in such great shape and what is your fitness regime?
I don’t eat meat or dairy and I try my best to drink a lot of water and stay hydrated. I don’t have a huge appetite. Larry says I hate food, but I can just have a couple meals a day and be fine. Being vegan has helped my health overall and I feel like I have more energy. My skin is clear, and my overall well-being has greatly increased. I do exercise at least three times a week with a little cardio, but mostly weight training.
Talk us through your beauty secrets.
I always wash my make-up off at the end of the day. I never sleep with my make-up on, it’s not healthy for your skin at all! I like to use organic oils under my eyes for puffiness and fine lines and I like to keep my face out of the sun, which is extremely damaging.
You have travelled extensively. What have been your most special destinations and why?
Larry and I went to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece. It was absolutely breathtaking. We took a boat and sailed to a natural hot spring. Larry got out and swam all the way to the hot spring because it was the only way you could get there. I stayed on the boat because I was super scared, they said the current was strong and I didn’t want to risk it. I told him one of us had to stay on the boat to call for help if the other got swept away. Larry says the hot spring was amazing though!
You were creative from a young age, sewing your own clothing and designing jewelry. You have recently created your own swimwear range, Nia Lynn. What made you decide to go headfirst into something so unique and how involved are you in the whole process?
I’m the only one involved in the Nia Lynn Collection, no business partners, it’s all me. I decided to dive headfirst because I’ve always wanted to be a designer and it goes hand-in-hand with modeling. Being around fashion my whole life has inspired me to start my own line. That, and watching my mom sew since I was young. She was a seamstress and made the most beautiful clothes. Starting my own line has been very successful and I’m having a lot of fun with it.
How successful has the swimwear range been?
It’s going extremely well. I just launched in December 2017 and I’m almost sold out of the first collection. I’ll be coming out with my new collection this summer, check the Nia Lynn Instagram (@nialynncollection) for updates.
Tell us about your four-legged children – they are simply adorable! Two French Bulldogs, Ace and Jasmine.
They’re our children. They’re probably the reason I don’t have any human babies yet, because I can’t imagine loving anything more than them, so it’s holding me back! I got Jasmine at six weeks old she just turned five. I rescued Ace when he was four months and he’s four years old now. They’re best friends. I wanted Jasmine to have a friend, so I flew to Chicago to pick him up. Ace and Larry are both from Aurora, Illinois and when I saw that, I just knew he had to be ours!
You support PETA and ASPCA.
I did a campaign for PETA a few years back and I donate a lot to shelters to get cats and dogs out of kill shelters and into rescue homes. I post a lot of dogs that need homes all over my Instagram stories. I’ve saved a lot of dogs via social media. I recently got a photo of a dog that I helped get a forever home last night. Seeing her happy gave me goosebumps!
Any exciting projects coming up?
I’m designing my new collection for Nia Lynn Swim. I do have a few other things that I can’t talk about just yet, but you can still expect to see me on TV and there is definitely a lot more to come. I update everything on my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nialynncollection/).