Beretta/Sims/Startraksphoto.com Pippa Middleton isn't the woman you think you know from tabloid photographs and headlines.
The 33-year-old sister of Kate Middleton sat down with The Daily Mail for her first major interview after getting engaged to James Matthews in July. She opened up about the unwanted attention she's received since becoming a part of the royal family and the one rumor that really gets to her.
"I have had a few years of being in the public eye, and I have developed something of a thick skin," she said. "But managing it all on my own has been quite hard. I have quite a lot thrown at me, such as being followed by people hiding behind cars and jumping out with cameras. It can be unnerving."
She continued, "I guess it's become the new normal for us. It means there are factors we have to weigh up and think about, but we try not to let it affect us."
While she says she tries not to be "too sensitive" about things, she can't help but admit the negative attention does get to her sometimes. "It's just a bit of life I have to deal with. But I would be lying if I said it didn't affect me," she revealed.
In fact, there's one specific rumor that pushes her buttons.
"People see me as someone privileged who has used my position to advantage; that I don't really work, that I am a socialite—that word really irritates me—and that I'm a party girl without any substance."
However, she'd like to remind everyone that she has and continues to make a name for herself.
Not only did she attend secondary school at Marlborough College by earning a sports scholarship and then studied English Literature at Edinburgh University, but she also was named an ambassador for the British Heart Foundation with which she penned her second book, Heartfelt.
The cookbook features over a hundred healthy recipes that are good for your heart.
"It's not just a balanced diet that is important for a good heart health," she told the publication. "Being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight will also reduce your risk of heart disease."
This is the second book she's written. Her first was called Celebrate and focused on party-planning.