Tessa Hayley Hellberg

Photo of Tessa Hayley Hellberg
Location
Johannesburg, South Africa
School
University of the Witwatersrand
Expertise
British Royals, the "Real Housewives" franchise, Old Hollywood stars
  • As a self-professed pop culture and royal news nerd, for Tessa, celebrity news has always gone far beyond recreation; it's her bread and butter in every sense of the word.
  • Throughout her time as an entertainment reporter, she's interviewed countless reality stars, including Kyle Richards and Ashley Darby — and even the legend himself, Andy Cohen.
  • She loves any opportunity to learn more about royals across the globe, and some of her happiest memories include wedding viewing parties for the British and Monegasque royal families, alike. Naturally, each party was preceded by flip files of prior research.

Experience

Tessa's love for pop culture stems back to her childhood, when she would craft school assignments as her very own entertainment reports. Her foray into professional reporting began in 2017, when she started writing the pop culture section for an edutainment app. She's since gone on to obtain her Master of Arts (with a dissertation on "The Real Housewives of Johannesburg," naturally), and has done over 100 interviews for TheThings. Tessa joined Static Media in early 2022, providing regular articles for Nicki Swift, and the occasional guest report on royal occasions for TheList.

Education

Tessa has a bachelor's degree in politics and media studies, and honors and master's degrees in media studies, all from the University of the Witwatersrand. She came away from both postgraduate degrees with distinction – and a love of seeing how pop culture, social factors, and politics intersect at every turn.

Nicki Swift Editorial Policies

Nicki Swift covers celebrity and entertainment news by way of an expert group of editorial professionals. We drive the conversation on everything from trending Hollywood news to star transformations, always striving to deliver the most compelling commentary, bolstered by quality expert opinions.

As we cover a wide breadth of pop culture, we're constantly reviewing, fact-checking, and updating stories to ensure they're accurate and current. Additional information on our editorial process available here.

Stories By Tessa Hayley Hellberg

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