Tinsley Mortimer

Early life

Mortimer was born in South Carolina and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. Her father was George Riley Mercer Jr., a wealthy real-estate investor, and her mother is Dale Mercer (née Tatum), an interior designer. Her paternal grandfather, George Riley Mercer Sr., founded Mercer Rug Cleansing in 1936. Mortimer is reportedly a descendant of Thomas Jefferson (on her mother's side) and a relative of Patrick Henry and James Madison (on her father's side). She grew up with one sister, Dabney Mercer. Mortimer attended the Lawrenceville School, where she was a member of the Kirby House. She went to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, before transferring to Columbia University, where she was a member of St. Anthony Hall. She graduated from Columbia with a BA in art history.

Career

Mortimer has a line of handbags and clothing in Japan for Samantha Thavasa, for which she was featured in an advertising campaign. She also features prominently in Samantha Thavasa USA's online promotional materials and in the company's Madison Avenue store, which also carries her handbags. She subsequently formed her own clothing line, Riccime by Tinsley Mortimer, which is available in select stores in Japan, including Isetan. In 2008, Mortimer became involved in branding and design for a condominium development.

She made a cameo appearance on the season two premiere episode of Gossip Girl, which aired September 1, 2008 on The CW. On March 10, 2010, her own reality television show created by Andrew Glassman and Mike Aho for The CW called High Society, starring Mortimer along with other socialites such as Paul Johnson Calderon and Devorah Rose, first aired. The show documented the lives of Mortimer and her friends but was cancelled after eight episodes.

Mortimer wrote a novel titled Southern Charm, which follows Minty Davenport from South Carolina to New York, where she is the victim of rumors. It was published by Simon & Schuster in April 2013. Mortimer also contributed a section to the best-selling book The Park Avenue Diet which outlined recommendations on improving one's conversation and social skills. The book was written by Manhattan diet doctor Stuart Fischer.

She was featured in Vestal magazine in the May 2012 issue, which included the cover and a featured editorial styled by Lo'renzo Hill-White and shot by fashion photographer Kevin Sinclair.

In 2017 it was announced that Mortimer would be joining the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City for the upcoming season number 9.

Personal life

Mortimer met Robert Livingston "Topper" Mortimer at Lawrenceville School and eloped when they were both 18. However, their parents forced them to annul the marriage. On May 4, 2002, they remarried in Richmond, Virginia. The Mortimers are now divorced.

On July 23, 2010, Mortimer was featured with her mother Dale on the Dr. Phil show discussing her divorce and her differences with her mother.

Her father, George, died March 26, 2015 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Legal issues

In April 2016, Mortimer was arrested for trespassing in Palm Beach, Florida. Police were called to a private home after reports of a woman screaming on the property. It has been reported that she was warned by authorities to cease similar behavior at the same property the year before.