Meghan Markle made a name for herself as an actress starring in the hit legal drama Suits – but it turns out Prince Harry’s fiancee started out her career in showbiz on an equally-popular show of a rather different variety: game show Deal or No Deal.
The 36-year-old, who officially announced her engagement to the British royal on Monday, starred on the show as one of its popular ‘suitcase girls’, the mini dress-clad models who are responsible for carrying and opening the metal briefcases that played such a key role in the set-up.
Videos of Meghan’s stint on the game show – which was hosted by Howie Mandel – lasted for a little less than a year, between 2006 and 2007, ten years before she met Prince Harry.
Rising star: Meghan Markle worked as a ‘suitcase girl’ on Deal or No Deal at the start of her acting career, between 2006 and 2007
Working the camera: The now-36-year-old was one of 26 women who had to carry a suitcase that was filled with a monetary amount, ranging between one penny and $1 million
Surprise! Meghan appeared on the show ten years before she met her fiance Prince Harry, and said in 2013 that she did it in order to ‘make ends meet’ while auditioning for other roles
Winner! Although she revealed that she never had the winning case, Meghan certainly knew how to put on a show while appearing on the show in a series of very provocative outfits
In a 2013 interview with Esquire, the former Suits star explained that she took the role on the show in order to ‘make ends meet’ while she was auditioning for other acting roles, having decided to make a rather drastic career change and leave her job at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina to pursue a life as an on-screen star.
And it seems that Meghan wasn’t exactly overjoyed to be talking about her time spent on the show – and quickly tried to change the subject in favor of something else.
‘Definitely working on Deal or No Deal was a learning experience, and it helped me to understand what I would rather be doing,’ she said.
‘So if that’s a way for me to gloss over that subject, then I will happily shift gears into something else.’
Videos of Meghan’s time on the show started resurfacing this week after the news of her engagement was made public in an official statement made by the royal family on Monday.
Moving on: Prince Harry and Meghan announced the happy news of their engagement on Monday morning, after months of speculation
There she goes! At the start of each show, Meghan would have to stroll down some stairs with her fellow models, carrying a suitcase in one hand and smiling at the camera (pictured with 11)
Round of applause: During each episode, Meghan would have to step forward and reveal the amount inside her case when called on by a contestant
Support: Several of Meghan’s former co-stars have spoken out about their happiness at the news of her relationship in recent months
In the various clips, the California native can be seen modeling a variety of thigh-skimming mini dresses, ranging in colors from black to orange to red – some of which featured rather tacky diamante embellishments – and high heeled shoes while wielding her numbered cases.
One video sees Meghan taking on something of a starring role, with Howie, who is now a judge on America’s Got Talent, calling her by name.
The actress – who is wearing a silky orange dress – is asked by Howie to open up her case, and is then seen grinning with joy after revealing a relatively low sum inside the luggage – $5.
At the start of that same episode, Meghan can also be seen making the rather tricky descent down some stairs into the studio alongside her fellow suitcase girls, carrying her suitcase in one hand while beaming at the cameras.
However, Meghan revealed to Esquire that she was never lucky enough to have the winning case.
Strike a pose: The role required Meghan to wear a series of rather saucy ensembles, five-inch heels, which she admitted were very painful, and plenty of make-up
Glamorous: The look was much more over-the-top than the natural make-up Meghan has been opting for in recent weeks
‘I didn’t ever have [the winning one]. I don’t think I did,’ she explained, before adding: ‘I was the ill-fated number 26, which for some reason no one would ever choose.
‘I would end up standing up there forever in these terribly uncomfortable and inexpensive five-inch heels just waiting for someone to pick my number so I could go and sit down.’
But while the experience is perhaps one that Meghan would rather leave behind, her former Deal or No Deal co-stars are no doubt thrilled at her recent happy news.
Several of the suitcase girls who appeared on the show at the same time as Prince Harry’s future wife spoke out earlier this year after the relationship had been made public and rumors of an engagement started to surface, sharing memories of Meghan’s time on the show.
‘Meghan is beautiful, smart, talented, I feel she absolutely deserves to be a princess,’ former suitcase girl Aubrey Lemon told Inside Edition.
‘One day she was next to me getting fitted for her dress, and the next day she’s going to be the future princess,’ Leyla Milani joked, before adding: ‘She was always reading scripts behind the scenes when we had our down time… she was always working on her craft.
Onwards and upwards! Meghan made her name in Hollywood playing Rachel Zane on the popular legal drama, Suits, which she recently quit in order to move to the UK
Happiness: The former actress will marry Prince Harry in May 2018, having started dating him in the summer of 2016
Stepping out: Meghan and Harry sparked rumors of an engagement over the summer when they made a public appearance at the Invictus Games in Toronto
But it wasn’t just Deal or No Deal that Meghan shared her talents with on her rise up the fame ladder; she also had small guest roles on CSI: New York, General Hospital, Without a Trace, and 90210.
Those days are now distant memories for the former star, however; Meghan was revealed to have quit her role on Suits, in which she played seductive lawyer Rachel Zane, earlier this year, however the news was only officially confirmed in a statement made by producers on Tuesday.
Meghan wrapped up her role after seven seasons, USA Network and Universal Cable Productions said, just one day after her engagement was revealed to the world.
Markle, 36, played Rachel Zane on the cable network drama, rising up the ranks from paralegal to lawyer. The character is engaged to be married to Mike Ross, played by Patrick J. Adams.
Markle has completed all her filming for the seventh season, which will return in early 2018, the network said.
‘We want to send our most heartfelt congratulations to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on their engagement,’ USA Network and Universal Cable Productions, both units of Comcast Corp, said in a joint statement.
‘Meghan has been a member of our family for seven years and it has been a joy to work with her. We want to thank her for her undeniable passion and dedication to Suits, and we wish her the very best,’ the statement added.