Where is Chloe from Wainui now? And what became of her slippers?

Monday, 15 February 2016

It was 1994, a local television documentary called Heartland captured the lifestyle and quirks of locals in various small towns in New Zealand.

In one of the segments, presenter Gary McCormick interviewed a young lady by the name of Chloe Reeves from Wainuiomata. 

Little did Chloe of Wainuiomata realise that thanks to the show, she would be catapulted into instant fame and notoriety - thanks largely to a pair of tiger slippers.

Shod in those fluffly feline wear and speaking throughout the interview in a child-like voice, Chloe had no idea she would soon become a cult figure.

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For so long after that she became synonymous with Wainuiomata.

However, fame came with a price. Not everyone was keen on her being the poster girl for the town. 

'The show outraged residents who said it made the area look like the 'slum of the Hutt Valley', and Pencarrow MP Trevor Mallard lodged a formal complaint that it breached the Broadcasting Act's good taste and balance provisions,' The Dominion reported in November 1994.

Mallard's complaint was accompanied by 2300 signatures.

The official complaint was centred on a lingerie party scene from the programme, but Chloe became the focus of Wainui's rage.

She was attacked in the Lower Hutt mall Queensgate, had her washing stolen off the line, and was told she was ugly and would be shot.

She slowly fell out of the limelight and moved to Waiheke Island. She moved to Napier in 2007 with husband Dragan Perovic, and came back to public attention fleetingly in mid-2008 after she was caught shoplifting a flea collar and flea drops for her now deceased dog Molly May Matilda.

The 55-year-old grandmother of seven lives on Marine Parade and now goes by the name of Chloe Perovic.

She is frequently seen making her way around Napier with her new dog Marilyn Angel May and is still approached by people who recognise her.

'Occasionally I do get the odd person [coming up to me], like maybe in the supermarket. Some people seem to know my name anyway. It's quite funny really. There are so many friendly people around. It's a friendly place, Hawke's Bay.'

The slippers are long gone. She offered them to Te Papa in 2002, but the museum didn't want them. One was later destroyed by Molly May Matilda and the other was given away to a friend.

She was 'very ashamed' of the shoplifting incident and has led a blemish free existence since then.

She keeps busy by 'being a wife, mother, grandmother, and I have lots of cats and my little dog'.

'Singing is still my first passion. And I collect dolls, but not in a serious way; in a fun way as you can see. I go to my favourite op-shops and buy them. I just love dolls. I'm a big kid really'.

'Hawke's Bay is home to me. I lived in Hastings for many years back in the seventies and eighties and nineties, so coming back to Hawke's Bay was like coming home to me'.

As for plans, Chloe says 'I don't really plan that far ahead. I live in the present'. 

'I do suffer from severe depression and I do battle with that quite often. I do put on a cheery front a lot of the time and people don't always know what I'm going through'.

'I love my cups of tea. I heard on the radio the other night that tea is actually good for bones. That's good to know because I'm a tea-aholic. I'm not an alcoholic. I don't smoke - my husband smokes, but I don't.'

Chloe still loves wearing slippers, but says she's pretty hard on them.

She bought a new pair of bright pink tiger slippers in a clearance sale after Christmas but hasn't worn them yet.

'I'm keeping them for a special occasion. I haven't worn them yet, but I will Christen them one day. I wear slippers out so quickly. I'm just scared that I'll wear them out. I'm just keeping them nice at the moment'

This is the second video in a Facebook series where we track down the famous Kiwis who left us wondering: Where are they now?

Tell us who you want us to find in the comments below.