We can use books, blogs, Pinterest boards, Internet searches, movies and even TV shows to help and inspire us in creating our dream home. Thankfully, there are currently many TV personalities out there who are more than happy to help their fans create the perfect house for them, with one of the most popular being the star of HGTV and the Rehab Addict herself, Nicole Curtis. Nicole’s definitely amassed a huge following due to her shows, and she’s a consummate professional when it comes to renovation, but how much do you really know about her?

A real estate agent

But how did Nicole turn a passion into a career? Well, after she graduated from high school, Nicole obtained her real estate license in Minneapolis. After a few years, she was approached by the DIY Network, who were looking for a blonde home improvement specialist – because we guess blondes have more fun when renovating? In any case, the network executives were impressed with her portfolio so asked her to come in for a test shoot. She wowed them with her presence and professional knowledge, and was consequently offered her own show.

Paying the bills

Despite her current success, Nicole Curtis didn’t catch her big break until her late 30s. Before that, she would often struggle to pay the bills, and worked numerous jobs while living from paycheck to paycheck.

To make ends meet, she mainly worked as a waitress: she would finish one shift at IHOP, before donning a brand new uniform and strutting her stuff as a waitress in Hooters. Although it wasn’t at all her dream, it was what she needed to do to get by.

Growing up

Although Nicole Curtis was born in Detroit, she spent her early years moving from place to place – including Georgia, Michigan, and Florida. The Curtis family were not the richest in the world, yet this lack of money sparked her interest in home redecoration and restoration.

In her words, “being poor makes you very creative,” and her inability to afford luxury items allowed her to keep a lookout for cheap furniture that she could restore. Amazingly, she has now managed to create a thriving business on this creativity!

A new business

Nicole loved restoring homes and furniture when she was younger, but she always had a dream in the back of mind that she would become a lawyer. Although she originally intended to study law at college, she eventually chose a new path – education.

While a student, Nicole needed to find a job that would help her through college, but instead of working for someone else, she decided to become her own boss, by starting a cleaning business. She eventually dropped out of college to focus on her new business venture.

Her first home

At just 18 years old and while still in college, Nicole Curtis had already had to fend for herself and had grown into a mature young woman – years before her peers. Amazingly, she took this maturity and work ethic and used it to buy her first home.

She bought a 1945 ranch in Florida for just $52,000, and although it was, in her words, “a heap,” she saw its potential – and with a $596.42 monthly payment, it was well within her budget. all she needed was to work her magic.

Making a profit

For as long as she can remember, Nicole has been obsessed with buying older houses and restoring them back to their original beauty. In 2012, she managed to find a historic house in Minneapolis – which she bought for just $2.

With the help of willing neighbors, volunteers, a $100,000 restoration budget and around 76-hour working weeks, Nicole managed to restore the house into an impressive home, which she later sold for a whopping $146,000.

Expanding her family

Nicole has certainly been through a lot early on, and when she was just 20 years old, her life changed forever, when she gave birth to her first son, Ethan. Although Nicole was overjoyed to expand her family, the circumstances in which her son was born were not ideal, as Ethan’s father was a criminal.

Just two months into her pregnancy, his father Steve Cimini was charged with manslaughter and spent numerous years in prison. It’s believed that this fact and the pressures of family fame put a huge strain on Ethan’s childhood.

Fighting for the money

Nicole worked hard to provide for her Ethan, and though her son is now a 20-year-old adult, that hasn’t stopped her from making sure he gets all the support he can.

Ever since his father Steve Cimini was released from prison, Nicole’s been on a mission to obtain all the child support payments she never received from him. In January 2018, Cimini was ordered to pay $14,685.54 in backdated child support. Unfortunately, he did not show up and is now facing even more jail time.

Hiding a new addition

Despite the struggles she faced the first time around, Nicole was undeterred at the thought of having another child, though it did make her wary of making her public life private. When she discovered she was pregnant again, in 2015, she decided to hide her news from the press.

Talking to the News Observer in 2016, she noted that she “wanted something to my own.” During filming, she would ask the camera crew to film away from her protruding stomach, and would even use props to hide her baby bump.