It's the day of the premiere of her scripted acting debut, but Gabby Windey isn't sure she'll be watching.
"It's literally not about me, but I just don't want to catch a glimpse of myself and have it ruin my life right then and there," the 35-year-old says, over the phone from the nail salon. "So it's really a self-protective mechanism. I don't want anyone to be like, 'Oh, Gabby's acting like she's too good already.' It's like, oh no, no, no. I've seen myself on TV so many times. It's incredibly hard. So I've learned."
Meet Mariana di Girolamo, the Breakout Star of 'Wild Horse Nine'
Windey has had quite the varied resume heading into her acting debut. She rose to fame in the world of reality TV, as a contestant on season 26 of "The Bachelor," then as "The Bachelorette," then "Dancing with the Stars" and "Traitors," the latter of which she won in 2025. Her life before TV involved working as an ICU nurse and as a Denver Broncos cheerleader.
In the years since she appeared on "The Bachelor," Windey has earned a loyal fanbase who followed her journey of coming out, getting married to comedian Robby Hoffman and launching her podcast "Long Winded."
Now Windey is moving into her actress era, first with a role in the new Netflix series "The Body." Created by Quinn Shephard, the series is a juicy, spooky queer drama set in the early 2000s around a Catholic school girl's dance team. Windey plays the team's very pregnant coach.
"People are like, 'did you always want to do this?' And obviously you just don't say it out loud. I feel like everyone wants to be on TV, but you understand the amount of delusion you should keep to yourself," she says."So I kept it to myself for a really long time, especially because I understand the stigma of people who come from reality. It just doesn't really happen for them.
I kind of needed the pudding before the proof almost."
Windey was presented with an audition from her acting agent, "got on a Zoom and did my best and here I am," she says. She was eager to try just about any role, but Shephard's project turned out to be more of a perfect fit than she could have imagined.
"There's a lot of serendipity about it. I was playing a dance coach, and I was a dancer for a long time. I was a professional cheerleader for five years. And there's a lot of queer storylines. I'm working for a woman. There's lots of women on set. It's about young girls finding their sexuality, which I could have had a little help with, I guess, but better late than never," she says.
"I think it was just literally perfect. So I felt extremely grateful for this to be the first time I'm involved in a scripted project and for it to be so aligned."
In addition to the agent, Windey has been working with an acting coach, and is realistic about the struggles of making it in Hollywood.
"You have to pay your dues. Above all, I do like to pay my dues," she says.
Next year she will be seen in Molly Gordon's "Peaked," with a cast that includes Connor Storrie, Laura Dern, Simone Ashley, Owen Thiele, Jeremy Allen White and Emma Mackey.
"'Peaked' was amazing. Everyone was so funny. It was really like day camp, surrounded by the biggest idiot and laughing the whole time," she says. " I think I was one of the only ones who auditioned. I think they had an idea for a lot of the other roles, but they really didn't know how my character was going to come to fruition.
So I don't know where I was in the audition process, but it sounded like I was one of the last. I did earn my spot. I don't know if everybody else on the cast can say the same."
Windey is currently at work on a book of comedic essays, which she's been at for the last year or so, and is hoping to keep the acting ball rolling.
"I'm still in my paying my dues phase. I'll probably always be there," she says, "but I'm down to work, work, work."
Launch Gallery: Gabby Windey, Star of 'The Body,' Around New York with WWD
From the Archive: A Look Back at King Charles III's U.S. Royal Visits and Style Moments
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Conan O'Brian and Irish Actors at the Oscars Through the Years
A Look Back at BET Awards Best Dressed Red Carpet Stars: Tyla, Queen Latifah and More [PHOTOS]
