Kildare model on life in LA: ‘I ‘worked my ass off to make it happen’

LOS ANGELES-based model and entrepreneur Tiffany Stanley from Moone in Kildare lived life as a normal Kildare woman. She went to college in IT Carlow where she studied PR and communications, and worked on the tills at Tesco.

“I loved growing up in the country – the best part for me was having so much space. We had two horses and I loved nothing more than taking them around the fields for a trek, or up to the woods in Mullaghreelan, or down to the river to splash,” says Tiffany.

All of this changed when she moved to LA to pursue a career in acting and television hosting. “Moving here really helped my modelling career and I got to shoot for Maxim, FHM, GQ, Cosmo and many more. It was a dream come true, but I definitely worked my ass off to make it happen.

In her 12 years of living in LA, she has seen many successes, and recently in 2023 she won Glamour Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year award. “This was a proud moment,” she said.

Tiffany moved to LA with no experience of the glitz and glamour, having come from an area with only a few hundred people living in it.

“I started with nothing. I started with 5,000 followers and now it’s two million, which took me 12 years to build. Hard work and focus always pays off,” she explained.

But it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Tiffany. She found it difficult to adjust to LA at first and felt quite lonely.

“At first, it was difficult to adjust for sure. For one thing, when I first arrived I had no friends, so that was difficult.” Over time things got better for Tiffany when she found friends and was initiated into Hollywood life. 

“The first few years were a wild and crazy adventure. I remember my friend Roz and I got invited to Leonardo Di Caprio’s house. Jonah Hill was there and a few other celebs. That was a wild moment.” 

Apart from Hollywood celebrity parties and photo shoots for magazine covers, Tiffany said that she loves California for the weather.

“I love the sun here. You can go to the beach or go snowboarding, all within a couple of hours. It’s great for outdoorsy people like myself.” One thing she does not rate is the unsavoury characters that Los Angeles is home to.

“I hate to say this, but sometimes the people are not that nice. There are a lot of liars, hustlers, time wasters and weird people out here. Every second person is a ‘producer’, but it’s usually some guy just making stuff up to try to hit on women,” she said.

Tiffany loves her life in LA, but misses the sense of community she had in Ireland. She looks forward to her visits home to visit family and friends, and hopes to find an Irish partner to help her bring her brand ‘Malibu Bronze Tan’ over to Ireland.

“I do want to do more work in Ireland. I’m interested in TV presenting and creating documentaries, so it will be wonderful when that all comes together. My plan is to spend more time at home,” she said.

“I think Kildare is so beautiful with its open green fields. It’s a stunning place and the people are so genuine and nice,” she said.

“I really enjoy the way family or friends just stop by for a cup of tea – the sense of community is the best. It’s the little things that are irreplaceable. I miss that for sure.” For other Kildare people wanting to live the LA lifestyle, Tiffany explains that it’s not without its challenges.

“I would tell people that want to move here to really make sure they have the funds to do so. LA is extremely expensive. There is no free healthcare so you need to spend $500 a month on insurance. Even a tiny, small home could be one million dollars – and that’s not even in a great area,” she elaborated.

But the biggest challenge Tiffany warns others about is missing family.

“You will also miss your family a lot and so it’s not an easy move at all. I stayed with my uncle, director Kevin Connor, and without his help it would not have been possible.”