Hollywood Exes' Mayte Garcia Tells All! - Exclusive

For those of you expecting the claws to come out on VH1’s new series Hollywood Exes, you're in for some disappointment. Far from a Housewives-type series, there’s no catfighting among the cast, or bashing of their famous exes. Refreshingly, the show takes a different approach: let the women bond over the frustrations that come with still being associated with a superstar, and help them discover new paths of their own at the same time.  

Wetpaint Entertainment chatted with cast member Mayte Garcia, who was married to Prince from 1996 to 2000. Mayte opened up about why she did the show, what she hopes to achieve from it, and what her famous former hubby would say.

Did you discuss the show with Prince before you signed on?
Mayte Garcia: You know, I didn’t. I didn’t have to because I knew what the show would be about. I knew it wasn’t something he’d have a problem with.  

They didn’t ask you to bash or disrespect him in any way?
No. There’s no way this would have happened if it was going to be an ex-bashing show. I’ve been offered that several times in the past, but I always turned it down.

What about the concept appealed to you?
When we were discussing the show, there wasn’t a lot of talk about my past. The focus would be about how we’ve all moved on. Personally, I was tired of ignoring the elephant in the room.  I was like, ‘Let’s address it, let’s put it in people’s faces.’ That way, I can finally move past it and be seen as an artist on my own.

Has that been an issue for you, people still associating you with him?
Oh my god, you have no idea. Twelve years we’ve been divorced and I still get asked for concert tickets!

Do you have empathy for Jennifer Aniston in that sense? She and Brad Pitt split seven years ago, yet she’s still painted as his poor ex-wife.
Oh yeah, I’ve felt her pain from the beginning. I feel for her struggle to try to recreate a relationship with someone new.

But even if your ex isn’t a celebrity, you can still relate to what we’re going through. I’m getting tons of letters and messages from women thanking us for addressing these issues and putting it all out there.

So having famous exes is what you all have in common – but it’s really just a jumping-off point?
Right. I mean, we share a lot of the same issues in terms of that, but we’re also coming together to address it, then move forward and showcase our own selves, our own struggles and our own dreams. For me, that’s my acting and my animal rescue shelter work.

Tell us about that.
I recently went to a kill shelter in Bakersfield and rescued a dog that was pregnant. I was told she was going to be put down because she was dark and dark dogs don’t photograph well, so people who are looking don’t want them. No one wants them. My goal is to do videos of them instead, so people can see they’re just as sweet, just as lovable. Even though some dogs don’t photograph well, they’re still great dogs. 

Are you close with the rest of the cast in real life?
Oh, absolutely. I’m having dinner with three of them later! We talk all the time, we’re like a sisterhood now.

Is there enough left to say and do for a second season?
Definitely. There’s so much left we all want to do and so much more we want show people. 

We have to ask, has Prince called you about the show yet?
No, I haven’t heard from him. But like I said, there’s nothing for him not to like. If he were to call, I’m sure he’d say, ‘Good job!’

To learn more about Mayte, check out her site, Mayte.com.

Hollywood Exes airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on VH1.