Who Is RHOBH Newcomer Diana Jenkins?
"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" is no stranger to a cast shakeup. The Bravo hit has had a revolving door of Housewives over the years, with plenty of famous faces coming and going. Case and point? Kyle Richards is the only one to have appeared as a Housewife on the West Coast version of the franchise since it first started back in 2011, with everyone else (like Lisa Vanderpump, Brandi Glanville, and Yolanda Hadid) coming and going over the years.
That means there's always plenty of anticipation for fans of the show when it comes to finding out who will be popping up on the upcoming season, so there was plenty of excitement back in December 2021 when E! News revealed that the stars of Season 11 would be back for Season 12 — plus a couple of new faces. Those newbies were Sheree Zampino (yes, Will Smith's first wife!) in a Friend role, while Diana Jenkins landed herself a full-time Housewife role.
But who exactly is Diana? Well, if that's the question on your lips, then you've come to the right place. We're taking a deep dive into the professional and personal life of the woman Celebrity Net Worth claims is worth an eye-watering $300 million, who's reportedly already found some drama on "RHOBH."
A difficult past
While you'd be forgiven for believing the wealthy and glamorous women who appear on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" may not have the most difficult of histories, that's not the case for Diana Jenkins.
Diana had a tough childhood after being born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to her Bravo bio. A young Diana and her family got caught up in a war in her home country, and they had to crawl through a tunnel under an airport before walking to nearby Croatia, per W. The family later made their way to England where Diana lived as a refugee in London and she found a lot of success in her adopted home country by earning a degree in Computer Science and Economics. "I went from Daddy's princess to not having anything to eat, not knowing if my family was alive," she told W in 2010 of her childhood, sharing she wasn't yet ready to share the story of how she made it to London.
Don't think Diana hasn't worked her way to where she is today, either. The reality star actually worked as a cleaner and a sales assistant when she landed in London in order to pay her way through college while learning English at night school, per The Guardian. She then worked her way up to become the Chairman of Neuro Brands LLC and founded her won swimwear brand according to her LinkedIn. What an inspiring story!
Living a double life
Diana Jenkins lives somewhat of a double life. Though she goes professionally by two names, her full moniker is actually Sanela Diana Jenkins, but she chose to drop her first name in an attempt to create a new life for herself. "I was 23 and felt 100 years old. That girl, Sanela, I didn't want to know her anymore because she had so much on her shoulders. So I invented Diana — all smiley and happy, beautiful, charming," she told W, admitting Sanela "doesn't really approve of Diana."
But far from just enjoying all the luxuries of life in Beverly Hills, Diana is also an avid activist. She founded the Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project in 2008, as well as The Irnis Catic Foundation — which was set up in honor of her brother who died in their home country — and The Sanela Diana Jenkins Foundation.
As for her personal life, Diana was married to Roger Jenkins and they welcomed two children together, Innis and Eneya. It wasn't meant to be though and they split a decade after they wed, though things appeared to stay amicable. "We have moved on and are supremely happy with the arrangements we have in our lives. Diana will always be a very happy part of my life," Roger said of his ex, per Daily Mail. As for Diana, she moved on with musician Asher Monroe and the two welcomed their first child together in 2020.