MARISHA Wallace realised a long-held dream when she bought her mum a house after her time in Celebrity Big Brother.
The theatre star, who grew up in rural North Carolina with her parents, sister and brother, is now one of the West End’s biggest stars.
Reaching the top hasn’t been easy as a black American woman, but Marisha’s great talent and drive has helped her overcome adversity over the course of her 20 year career.
She jumped at the chance to star in the rebooted CBB back in March in order to reach a wider audience beyond the boards of London’s glitzy theatre district.
And the reality TV payday had the added benefit of finally allowing her to buy a property back in the States, taking her mum out of an expensive rental flat and into her own house.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Marisha, 38, said: “Before I went into Big Brother, my mum told me her rent was going up sky high and I was like OK, this has to do. She can’t be living in a one bedroom apartment for this price because it was way too much. I said I’m going to do this for her, and I did.
“And I was so happy that I could do it after Big Brother, after everything. And I worked really hard, but I’ve been working hard for like 20 years to make this happen.
“It’s always been a dream of mine. So I made it happen and it was great, and she’s so happy she’s in the house now.
“And it’s nice to have a family home to go to when I go back to North Carolina. So it’s great.”
The rebooted CBB was a big success with the likes of Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Love Island‘s Ekin-Su getting the nation talking.
It was packed with drama yet devoid of the scandals that marred the franchise in the past.
Surprisingly, for Marisha, who is at the pinnacle of her profession as a leading lady, the decision to take part wasn’t difficult.
“When I got the call, I knew right away I was going to do it,” she said. “I knew right away because it’s so hard in theatre, you don’t get the reach.
“People have really great core memories of you when they come see you on a show, but television is just so reactive. I just knew it could shine a spotlight on an industry that doesn’t always get, you know, the recognition it deserves.
“And I think the show notoriously had kind of a bad reputation as far as like, ‘oh, is somebody going to be fighting?’ And I wanted to be a part of the rebrand of this show.”
The decision has certainly done no harm to her career. She’s since performed for royalty at a D-Day commemoration, landed a part in a special two date performance of hit US musical Something Rotten! and has an upcoming solo show at the Adelphi Theatre.
“It’s always been a dream of mine. So I made it happen and it was great. And she’s so happy and she’s in the house now.
Marisha Wallace
Perhaps Marisha’s most memorable moment in the house was also a show first, one which is unlikely to be repeated again.
The actress and singer discovered she’d been nominated for a prestigious Olivier Award for her turn as Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls.
Though she would eventually miss out on the Actress in a Musical gong to Nicole Scherzinger, the televised moment was a huge deal for the industry.
She said: “I was like, who has ever been nominated for an Olivier Award or an award period in the house? So that was something so cool.
“So many people who had no idea what the Olivier Awards were, which was crazy to me, walk up to me on the street. They’re like, ‘congratulations on your award. I’m going to watch it now.’
“And also now I hear that the Olivier Awards is going to be on a prime time spot on ITV now, which it wasn’t before. So it’s just brought so much awareness to theatre, to people who are in the arts and how important it is.”
Not only was she complimented for representing the theatre community, she was praised for flying the flag for black women too.
“I felt like my stories could inspire some people,” she said. “And I’ve gotten so many comments and messages saying, ‘thank you for representing black women the way you did. Thank you for being an inspiration. Thank you for showing all our sides, the vulnerability, the sassiness, the funniness. Just a well-rounded person.’ And that’s what I’m really happy about.”
A noble part of Marisha’s character is her determination to lift others up and champion those who are often ground down by external parties.
Recently her good friend Sheridan Smith had a tough time when her play Opening Night’s West End run was cut short after the production was savaged by theatre-goers and critics.
Popular actress Sheridan, who has won a Bafta and two Olivier Awards, has also seen her personal struggles pored over in recent years.
“She’s just been through so much as a person,” said Marisha. “And in the industry she gets beat down so bad. People judging what she does.
“And there’s so many men who just get to make mistakes. They get to do whatever they want. And they don’t get that scrutiny.
“So I do stick up for women, and I do feel like it’s harder for us. We always have to be perfect.
“We can’t make mistakes. You can’t make one misstep. So as women we have to support each other.
“As a society we need to support women and give them a break. We’re working as hard as we can. Sometimes we even have the resources to do what we want to do in this industry.
“So I do feel like I break a lot of barriers with what I do. Racially, as a woman, coming from a different country. But you just have to keep doing your thing and the people who love you will follow.”
Next month Marisha will return to the stage in hit Broadway musical comedy Something Rotten! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on August 5 and 6.
The stellar cast includes Jason Manford, Gary Wilmot and former Coronation Street heartthrob Richard Fleeshman.
Marisha is playing Bea, the wife of Jason’s character Nick Bottom – one half a Renaissance brotherly writing duo intent on outshining Shakespeare by creating the world’s first musical.
She said: “It’s such a funny show, especially if you like shows like The Producers or Spamalot or Drowsy Chaperone, like those old school big musical comedies. Like, it really does fit that but then it has like a modern twist to it.
“I think it’s ripe time for a good comedy. I think we all just need to laugh and I think, especially now with what’s still happening in the world and the craziness of all the politics and things, it’s a good time to have a fun show like this.”
To buy tickets for Something Rotten! visit: https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/something-rotten-in-concert/
Marisha’s new single Cry Baby is out now
