HONEY, I TELL IT LIKE IT IS!

The Real Housewives of Cape Town's straight-talking, no-filter Thato Montse lets YOU into her home

- MAXINE PETERS

SHE'S not one to miss out on an opportunity to get her glam on and today is no different. Her makeup artist is putting the final touches to her face when YOU arrives at her home in Milnerton, Cape Town.

"I've got to look my best, darling, Thato Montse says with a smile. "Can I get you a glass of wine while I finish up?"

She points to a bottle on her dining room table from her own brand, Thato Wines. Fans of the hit Mzansi Magic show The Real Housewives of Cape Town would know it's her absolute passion.

The show follows the first ladies of Cape Town's social scene: Kutazwa “Rooksy” Gqirana, Loveline Abinokhauno, Beverley Steyn, Lulwando "Lue" Tukwayo, Rushda Moosajee and Camilla McDowell.

Thato is a marketing specialist-turned-wine connoisseur. Her love of vino led to her creating her own brand and is even tied into her tagline on the reality show. "I may be full-bodied and packed with flavours, but like a good winemaker, I know exactly how to crush my sour grapes," she says in the opening credits.

She's one of the most talked-about characters because of her controversial and unfiltered approach. "Honey, I tell it like it is and I keep it real," she tells YOU. "I can only be me and that's all I wanted viewers to see.

The women fill their days with leisurely lunches, serious shopping and grand getaways, but life hasn't always been this rosy for Thato. "I remember getting my first job at a café in Cape Town - I was cleaning toilets," she says.