DIVA sat down with the I Kissed A Girl star to find out more about her life since the show
BY SARAH KENNELLY, IMAGES BY @DANNIIJOPHOTOGRAPHY
Thrown on her best friend’s couch, Amy Spalding’s flaming red locks are tousled and tangled in a chic come-as-you-are fashion. Recovering from a boozy brunch turned messy night out, she burrows deeper into her oversized hoodie, greeting me with a diva-esque: “Hello Darling!”
The last six months of Amy’s life have been a fever dream, catapulting to fame after starring in the smash-hit reality TV series I Kissed A Girl. A hopeless romantic, she joined the sapphic dating show to find true love but was friend-zoned at some turns. Despite Amy’s dating woes, she became the clear fan-favourite for her rowdy antics including the ever-so-sexy cabaret performance as Jennifer Coolidge.
Made to feel embarrassed for her loud personality growing up, it became the very thing that charmed audiences. The internet couldn’t get enough of her theatrics, prompting countless memes that earned her icon status in the queer community. So much so that troves of fans dressed up as her for Halloween donning fiery red wigs, black knee high boots, and t-shirts brandishing her signature catchphrase: “Femme for Femme.” The very public rejection therapy she endured led to social media stardom, red carpet invites, and a run-in with Cara Delevingne that left her “hyperventilating” in a Tesco carpark.
For many, the pressure of becoming an overnight sensation would be daunting but Amy is motivated to be the role model she never had as a young queer woman: “It does feel like a weight but in a great way. It’s like my heart is bursting with love. Growing up, I really latched onto the lesbian canon in the media to help me navigate my queerness. I’m so glad I can be that for some people because I didn’t have many queer role models to look up to.”
She gushes about the support she has received from fans, attributing it to the warmth of the queer community. But there’s a tinge of hesitation in her voice as she opens up about the downsides of living in the spotlight. She says: “It actually has been difficult because it’s so alien to me. I can walk through straight areas like Canary Wharf completely unrecognised. But in queer areas like East London, people just run up to me and almost bodyslam me.”
The outpouring of love from her queer followers ushered in a new sense of self-acceptance that Amy, growing up in a conservative part of England, struggled to find on her own. But it has also brought its own challenges, receiving overtly sexual DMs and getting mobbed by crowds at concerts. “It’s weird because I feel so privileged and grateful to have that fondness for me but it is really confusing to navigate. Now, I get quite anxious about leaving the house because of it,” she reveals.
Despite this, it hasn’t turned Amy away from living her life in the public eye, determined to use her platform for the good of the LGBTQIA community. This is where her jewellery brand SLT Studios comes in, a rebellious and unapologetically queer label that follows in the footsteps of other radical designers like Vivienne Westwood. Leading the brand alongside her business partner Rupert McMinn, they are famous for their DYKE, SLUT, and CUNT rings. Messy, fun, and built to upset our parents, it embodies an unsanitized version of queer culture.
Amy couldn’t quite contain her excitement explaining the vision for the brand: “I love the outrageous. I love to push buttons. Making the DYKE ring just felt natural. Growing up, I was ashamed of my lesbianism. This felt like a reclamation of that shame and leaning into my queerness. If I call myself a DYKE, a homophobe calling me that doesn’t have any power.”
SLT Studios is riding the coattails of the lesbian renaissance, epitomising what Amy calls the “Dykonic” times we’re living in. In their latest campaign, they enlist the help of fellow divas Tayce, Cat Burns, and Lozeak to show off the chunky sterling jewellery. It’s the brand’s most exciting release to date, featuring photoshopped images of Princess Diana waving a DYKE ring in the air. And what better icon to represent the brand when Amy has been dubbed the Lesbian People’s Princess herself?
Routinely selling out on the internet, you would never know how difficult Amy finds managing a business as someone living with ADHD. “My screen time would kill a Victorian child,” she laughs.
“There is certain stuff I really struggle with. Everything is done a bit last minute because I need that pressure. But I also play to my strengths. ADHD makes me think outside of the box and I work well in pressured situations,” she reveals.
And if the brand’s social media presence is anything to go by, she is doing something right. It seems like Amy is ticking off success after success since IKAG aired but fame and fortune aren’t a cure-all. “I’ve got stronger direction in my life with the jewellery brand and I’m in a really great relationship but I’m still very anxious. A lot of what might seem glamorous about fame is superficial. I’ve never been that person that thinks money can buy happiness,” she says.
One quick glance at Amy’s TikTok and it won’t take you long to figure out that she’s been soft-launching a new girlfriend in her videos, finally finding the love she was looking for in the villa. Keeping it under wraps for now, she blushes and covers her face, sharing that she’s never been happier.
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