Claudia Jordan has slammed Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's claim that they were treated like "bimbos" on 'Deal or No Deal.'
The 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star appeared on the game show as a suitcase girl alongside Meghan - who was then an actress known as Meghan Markle before marrying Prince Harry in 2018 - and insisted that the modelling job presented them with "so many opportunities".
She said: "For clarity - yes, getting a modelling gig on a game show isn't necessarily about your intellect, but every show, the executive producers picked five models with the most outgoing and fun personalities to place mics on, who they knew would engage with the contestants.
"And 'Deal or No Deal' never treated us like bimbos. We got so many opportunities because of that show."
The 49-year-old reality star - who appeared on the show for four years from 2005 until 2009 - added the gig was a "step up the ladder" for her, and while she has "defended" the duchess in the past, she wanted to clear up any potential "misunderstanding" about the working environment on the NBC game show following the royal's comments.
She wrote on Instagram: "But if you show up and seize your moments, there’s no limits to what you can do with the opportunity. It was a step on the ladder I've been ascending on for 25 years that paid all my bills, put me in front of 13million people a night, and led to me getting on 'Celebrity Apprentice', 'Celebrity Apprentice All Stars', a breast cancer awareness campaign, guest-hosting Extra, getting into PEOPLE magazine's 100 Most Beautiful issue, and so much more.
"Lord knows, I've been defending this woman in the media for years. And I still will, but I just didn't want any misunderstanding about the climate and environment on the 'Deal or No Deal' set. And I'm especially protective of (host) Howie Mandel, who was nothing but kind and respectful to all 26 of us."
Jordan’s comments come after the former 'Suits' actress - who has children Archie, three, and 16-month-old Lili with Prince Harry - alleged that the game show job was about "beauty" and wants her daughter to "aspire higher" in life.
Speaking on her 'Archetypes' podcast on Spotify, she told guest Paris Hilton: "There were times when I was on set at 'Deal or No Deal' and thinking back to my time working as an intern at the US Embassy in Argentina, Buenos Aires, and being in the motorcade with the secretary of the treasury at the time and being valued specifically for my brain.
"Here, I was being valued for something quite the opposite. I mean, you have to imagine just to paint the picture for you that before the tapings of the show, all the girls, we would line up. It was solely about beauty and not necessarily about brains.
"I want our daughter to aspire to be slightly higher. Yeah, I want my Lili to want to be educated and want to be smart and to pride herself on those things. I ended up quitting the show. I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage. I didn't like feeling forced to be all looks. And little substance. And that's how it felt for me at the time being reduced to this specific archetype the word bimbo."
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