IF you’ve ever seen pictures of Rita Ora looking insanely gorgeous on the red carpet, you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s probably never suffered from low self-esteem.
But just like the rest of us, the 35 year old doesn’t always like what she sees in the mirror.
“I’ve tried my best to remember that when I’m thinking: ‘Oh, gosh, I’m not the exact weight I want to be,’ that all of that stuff is not real,” she admits. “What’s real is how you show up.
“I know when people read this they’ll say: ‘Well, that’s easy for you to say because you look a certain way,’ but I don’t always feel a certain way. I think that’s something to remember.”
Rita is chatting to us from her home in Los Angeles, which she shares with her husband, the Oscar-winning writer, actor and director Taika Waititi.
Of course, in La Land, the obsession with looks runs deep, but she credits therapy for helping her navigate it.
“I’ve just stopped honestly caring about what other people think. I’ve started to do more therapy and it’s all been my process,” she says. “I tell my fans: ‘Don’t worry if you haven’t got it figured out yet. No one has.’”
Rita certainly seems to have her career figured out. As well as new music on the horizon, acting, presenting, running her tequila brand Próspero and haircare brand Typebea, she’s just launched her new fitness collection, Every Move Counts, with Primark. The range offers technical activewear, with pieces from just £2.50.
“My relationship with Primark goes back 20 years,” Rita says.
“I always wore Primark’s clothes growing up. I’ve been entertaining the idea of a fitness collection for a year. I got into my fitness journey in 2020-2021 – I’m not a guru, but I’ve found a great movement plan that works for me.
“I wanted an activewear range that was accessible to everyone. I was thinking: ‘What do I like?’ I love joggers, leggings, gilets and long-sleeved tops. I’m a big fan of layering.
“I’ve tried every workout set in the world. I became obsessed! I’m that person who was buying them all off TikTok shop, going: ‘I’ve got to try this one and this one!’ Eventually, I felt like I had enough knowledge on what was important.”
Despite her jam-packed diary, Rita says she always makes an effort to prioritise exercise for the sake of her mental health.
“If I don’t have an hour of exercise a day, I am a mess,” she laughs.
“Life is busy, so it’s not just the gym, it’s also going on the school run or out for a walk. It’s squeezing it in wherever you can. I always say to my team: ‘Whatever I’m doing or wherever I’m going, can we please schedule an hour in for my exercise?’
“I sweat every day, I just have to move my body. I work out five days a week. It’s always different – running, walking, sitting in the sauna. . .
“But I enjoy my days off, too, and I don’t feel guilty about having a coffee and a cinnamon roll as I’ve done the work. I have such a sweet tooth.”
It’s hard to describe exactly what Rita does, as she has her fingers in so many pies and refuses to be pigeonholed.
If I don’t have an hour of exercise a day, I am a mess
Rita Ora
She hit the top of the charts with her debut single Hot Right Now in 2012, but since then she’s raked in millions from TV deals, most recently hosting the New Year’s Eve celebrations from Times Square with Ryan Seacrest to 30 million viewers.
She’s also a panellist on The Masked Singer in the US and she’s moved into acting, too.
“I set this huge goal in my brain and part of me wants to prove to people that it is possible to do it all. I had a dream when I first started in 2012 – I’ve always said: ‘I want to be 360.’ I want to do films, music and TV shows – and I am doing that. It makes me feel limitless.
“I’m in my mid-30s now and I find it exciting to say: ‘I’m still doing these things that I love and achieving those things that I’d like to achieve.’”
She adds: “It was the third time I’ve co-hosted the New Year’s Eve celebrations, but I try not to think about the huge number of people watching.
“I thrive off live TV – when it’s pre-recorded, I just overthink everything. Presenting is all about having fun, and I think my connection with people and being myself is why it works. I love that part of my job.
“I’ve got two huge films, Voltron and Disney’s Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, coming out this year, and I’m making this new record. I don’t know when it will be released, but it’s so liberating having that freedom. I never get bored.”
‘Support each other’
She credits her husband Taika, who she married in August 2022, with supporting her creativity.
“It’s awesome,” she says. “It all starts with respecting each other’s space and then sliding in where it fits.
“I think together we have such clear visions of what we want to do, and so we just support each other.
We are very similar in the way we think, so I’m very lucky to say that we align on a lot of things
Rita Ora, on husband Taika Waititi
“It does help that we’re kind of in the same industry, but even if I wasn’t, we are very similar in the way we think, so I’m very lucky to say that we align on a lot of things. Maybe because we had our friendship before we got together.”
Rita and Taika – who wrote and directed two of the Marvel Thor films – divide their time between London, Los Angeles and Taika’s native New Zealand. But Rita admits that her home city of London is always her favourite place to be.
“I kind of don’t live anywhere,” she laughs.
“I keep my toothbrush in my suitcase. I just go where the work is. It’s been over a decade now of travelling.
“I’m not really a home bird, but I’d love to be in my house every night. That’s my dream, but that’s just not my story at the minute. I’m OK with it. I miss my family, but we talk on FaceTime,” she adds.
“It’s part of my routine. I work out and then I connect with my mum Vera. This is my non-negotiable. My mum is so important to me and she helps me with things, too – she helps run my haircare line.”
Vera, a psychiatrist from Albania, who was living in Kosovo when Rita was born, has battled cancer twice – the first time in 2005, aged 39.
She underwent a partial mastectomy, chemo and radiation therapy, and Rita, who was 13 at the time, has been open about how tough it was for the family.
Rita says that, as a cancer survivor, Vera is passionate about the haircare brand.
“She’s really involved with the whole hair-loss cause. She’s been helping with growing the brand globally. It’s kind of a family affair.
“I try my best to include everyone when I can. Although, I think she needs her own show, she’s so entertaining. Maybe we should do a podcast together!
“I have been asked multiple times to do a documentary. I think when the time is right, I will. I’ve got a lot of footage, so maybe one day people will see that. It’s been a long time and I’ve got a few stories. I’ve seen a few things,” she laughs.
One day a week, I’m gonna go to the pub and get tipsy, then for six days, I’m gonna be on it. It’s just the balance – that’s how I live my life
Rita Ora
Now, Rita is counting down the days until she’s back in Blighty – so she can tuck into a proper Sunday roast.
“I’m flying back to London on the weekend, finally,” she says.
“I’m so excited, I just love London – the people, the walks in the park, going to get my coffee on Portobello Road.
“I am such a Londoner. Obviously, my family are there, but I love going to the pub and having a roast, too. I tried to have a roast in LA and they just can’t do it. It’s like: ‘Where’s the gravy?’
“I do look at LA like it’s work, then I go to London and it’s home. In LA, it’s really cool because Taika and I have our own set-ups – I have my studio space and he has his writing space.
“We chat about work – Taika even helped me with my Primark collection. I was saying: ‘Does this look good? Do you like this colour?’ It was fun.
“I’ve been working on film projects, too. I’ve been really excited and he’s advised me a lot on them. They are big franchises and I’m seeing more projects like this, so I take a lot of his advice on those.
“I said to myself that this year, I didn’t want to do things that I have to do, only things I really want to do.”
Rita has even been able to bring a bit of London to their house in Point Chevalier in New Zealand by building an English pub in the garden.
Her dad, Besnik, owned a handful of pubs in London, including The Queens Arms in Kilburn, which he still owns, and Rita would hang out there after school.
‘Fun party partner’
“New Zealand is actually pretty similar to the UK in the sense of pubs and things,” she says.
“Taika and I have a lot in common. We have the same likes, so we said: ‘Let’s just build a pub!’ It’s the bevvies we like. We’ve got our own Guinness tap.”
It’s clear Rita loves a night out – she’s attended the Met Gala 11 times and has become famous for hosting elaborate parties with her husband.
Last year, they had a Great-Gatsby-themed bash to celebrate Taika’s 50th in Ibiza, with guests including Sacha Baron Cohen, Matt Damon and Kate Moss. Though, Rita admits that sometimes she just enjoys an early night.
“Last night was the Golden Globes, but I didn’t do anything. I went to bed and I had nine hours of sleep. I love to have a good time, but I’m very disciplined when I have to work or if I’ve got things to achieve.
“One day a week, I’m gonna go to the pub and get tipsy, then for six days, I’m gonna be on it. It’s just the balance – that’s how I live my life. I had a great Friday night out with my mates, then I had a day off on Saturday, and Sunday I got back into training.
“Sometimes I’ll have dinner at 6pm and I’m in bed asleep by 9pm. It’s embarrassing, but I love it. Work always comes first, but yeah, I’m a pretty fun party partner. Ask a lot of my friends!”
We wake up, we work out together with the kids running on the treadmills. It’s a family affair
Rita Ora, on being a stepmum
Away from work, Rita is embracing a new role as stepmum to Taika’s children Te, 13, and Matewa, 10, with his ex-wife, New Zealand film producer Chelsea Winstanley.
“It’s really easy,” Rita says. “We wake up, we work out together with the kids running on the treadmills. It’s a family affair.
“I have to say it’s been a real eye-opener to understand that sometimes there’s more to life than what you care about in that moment. I’ve realised there’s so much more, so [becoming a stepmum] did give me that.”
Is there anything Rita still wants to achieve?
“Honestly, it’s just about feeling content and happy – that’s really important to me. Having good people around you and being grateful. Everything is about balance,” she says.
“I have a five-year plan. Not that I’d know how to get there, but I have my dream board stuck on the mirror. I try my best to achieve these things, but also I just trust the process.”
- Every Move Counts X Rita Ora is available in Primark stores nationwide and via Click & Collect.
What was the last. . .
Film you watched? Zootopia 2 – I loved it.
Podcast you listened to?
Witch on BBC Radio 4 about the history of witches.
Concert or play you went to? Messy White Gays, in New York. It was so good.
Time you cried? When I watched Kate Winslet’s new film Goodbye June. It was sad, but amazing.
Person you texted?
My driving instructor, who is waiting outside for me now!
Thing you bought? Electrolytes without the sodium – it’s no good for you.
Time you laughed? Now! I think this conversation has been really fun.
