Fast confession - Jitka Nováčková: I had been prepared to pop babies, but now my feet are back on the ground!

You are extremely busy, either on a plane or at an airport all the time, going from one job to another. What is that like?

Awful (laughs). Should I go into greater detail?

By all means! (laughs)

It is quite tough, but I still feel progress and I am enjoying the work. Only the things around it are difficult. I feel like a superwoman and I feel I can do it all. But then I am exhausted, I do not feel well, and I must make it look like I am just fine. I do have a lot of work, knock on wood… And that’s great!

For which brands?

To put it really briefly, my largest client is Hugo Boss.

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No, you have always been in such great demand. There was a time when you had little work, but now it seems that you don’t even have time to see your friends. What is it like to be a model with nothing to do, turned into a model who does not know which job to take firsts?

I am extremely happy for what I have, because now I can say NO and I can voluntarily become a model who only has work occasionally. But the thing is that I do not feel like saying NO, because I enjoy the work. So usually, I do not say NO. Or, more precisely, when I do, they usually tell me that the conditions can be changed to fit my demands, which is great for me because I also get the remuneration that I like.

I assume that working abroad is better than working in the Czech Republic.

That does not hold true at the moment. Last year I worked in Germany, with 90% of my income coming from there, but now that I have my YouTube channel, I must say that in September, some 70% of my income will be from the Czech Republic.

Tell me about you and friends. How are you managing? Judging by how long it took the two of us to arrange to meet for a coffee...

I don’t have time. The truth is that we live through our telephones. Now I have tried to see them, over the summer, and I got my best friend to go to the Fashion Week, but in the time that I have been here I have only seen him for about two minutes.

I know that you do not always feel like telling the media about your private life, but I will ask nevertheless. What about that man of yours?

I do talk about my private life when I have something nice to say.

So now you do have something nice?

Yes, yes…

So here I go! You look happy, in love, so how much time do you have for the man of your heart?

Very little, but the time we do have together is worth it. For the time being, we are trying to keep a long-distance relationship and we will see how we do. But I think that within some three months, we will have a serious talk because I do have a lot on my plate, which he has not seen yet because it was summer and hence, a low season, and he only saw me adapting to him. He did tell me that he would not want me to cancel work on his account, but I think that in the end, he will change his opinion (laughs). I do not know how we will do it. Perhaps I will have to refuse work or move over there.

How often do you see each other?

About once every three weeks, for three or four days.

Is that enough for you?

A huge disadvantage is that we are just starting out. On the other hand, at the very beginning, we were on vacation for about ten days, and this last time, I visited him for about 5 days. In December, we will also go on vacation together, which is helping us hang on; the rest takes place over Facetime.

How long have you been together?

Since April or May.

So you are still wearing rose-coloured glasses.

Huge rose-coloured glasses! It is that kind of a thing when I am thinking that this is the best, the most beautiful thing, that we will marry and be together till the end of our lives (laughs). You know what? Let’s do another interview in three months’ time, after our second vacation, and I think that I will again be silent and not talk about my private life. (laughs)

On a vacation, one can usually tell whether a relationship makes sense. And your first vacation was good…. How did you two meet?

We met in Denmark. I went there to see Nikola Buranská and she tells me: “There is Tim here, and Tim is great…” Well, he was great, so we met and Tim was interested in me, too, so it worked out.

What does he make of your career?

He admires it.

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Would he join you at a public function?

He had been looking forward to the Fashion Week very much, but now he is playing for the Finnish national team, so he can’t.

So here is an obvious question: if the Czech team were playing the Finns, who would you cheer for?

They will probably never play against each other, because Finland is not very good in football, but we will not say that, ok? (laughs)

Should I take it out of the interview then?

Just keep it, he does not speak Czech!

If a miracle happened and the Finns were playing a bit better and indeed the match came about, would you cheer for the Czechs?

I do not know. I would very much cheer for him, to make him happy, but if our team won, I would definitely be secretly happy.

How do you think long-distance relationships work?

This is my second time around, and it sucks. I had a partner from Germany before, and we broke up because of the distance. It simply did not work.

Would you move for Tim?

While on vacation, I had the feeling that yes, immediately. But now I am getting my feet back on the ground and I am saying to myself that I must not lose my head because I enjoy my work and there, I do not have any clients yet. I must gradually build a clientele there.

That sounds sensible.

But I had a complete black-out, that kind of a thing when you think: “I am giving up my whole life, I will happily pop babies now!” But fortunately, I woke up in time.

If you are in such high demand, it would be a shame to let it all go. How do people around you see you? Do they not say that this is star Nováčková, who has work abroad and the Czech Republic is too small for her?

I do not care what anyone thinks. I do everything excellently for a client once we agree on something, because I am a pro. If someone thinks that I am conceited, there is nothing I can do about it. I do not have time to think about such things with respect to my colleagues, so I have the feeling that the world is filled with sunshine (laughs). But perhaps it is possible that some people hate me for that.

You think that someone has ever hated you?

It is true that when I started to have greater success, people started to mind.

But that is the case everywhere and with anything, is it not?

In that case, perhaps some people mind me! (laughs)

What do you make of the Fashion Week?

I have been to two shows and that’s it for me, because I have so much to do. But I like it very much.

You wore four outfits in two days. How much time did you spend choosing them, and what about people about you?

There were three hairdressers at the same time, I did my own makeup, and I chose the outfits myself. But I go with what I know works, I have the feeling that things go much faster for me now as I have developed a certain taste over the years. It used to take me a long time to figure out what matched what, but now, I come and see immediately which things go together.

So you are creating a back door to go into the styling profession?

Are you mad? Do you think I have too little to do?

Of course, once nobody wants you anymore! In some forty years, or so (laughs)!

When I am old and ugly, when nobody watches my You Tube, when everything collapses…

One can be old and ugly on You Tube, can’t one?

Well, in that case, I will definitely not be a stylist, but a youtuber. And furthermore, stylists carry lots of bags.

You work hard. Are you able to reward yourself properly and enjoy luxury? Well, I guess it depends on what luxury means to you. Some see luxury in social events, travel, the people in the circles they inhabit...

Those things I do not see as luxury but rather, as an obligation. For me, luxury is when I have time off, I go on a nice vacation and enjoy myself there… I very much enjoy food as a luxury. That is one thing you and I have in common! (laughs) I also enjoy clothing. On the other hand, I also enjoy my time with my friends from elementary school, who have a very basic income, and we go for a spin in a convertible or go camping or canoeing.

You go camping?

I do, and I do not mind. But after that, I also like those nice hotels (laughs).

How nice are the hotels you are talking about? (laughs)

If you saw the one we stayed in in Barcelona… I entered this suite that had a view of the entire city, and then I found out that that silly guy of mine booked a room that takes up nearly the entire floor; I started screaming and jumping around. Tim said that I was like Pretty Woman.

Perhaps with the exception of your occupation…

Yes – the difference is that I am not a prostitute!!!

Do you always show your excitement in such an extreme fashion, by jumping etc.?

Well sorry, but I will show you the pics later, ok?!!!

I get it! Was that the greatest thing he has done to make you happy?

Yes. But I also enjoy the little things, too, when he sends me a photo with a heart at some point in the day, and tells me that he is thinking about me.

And generally, what brings you the most joy?

Leisure time with friends. It is hard for us to get together.