Rita Ora’s dedicated big sister Elena is secret driving force of her global fame
EXCLUSIVE: The 31-year-old has steered her sister’s career from pub singer to performing at the Oscars and Love Island chiefs want to get on the series
When it comes to the fame game superstar Rita Ora has a trump card – her big sister.
Some siblings might be jealous of the singer’s global fame and growing fortune but not dedicated Elena, 31.
The sisters have become a formidable team – sharing a strong work ethic, talent, ambition and stunning good looks.
In fact, Elena is the 29-year-old star’s secret weapon who has guided her climb to chart and television success.
Elena pinged the radar of Rita’s fans and TV bosses after pictures of her and Rita on holiday appeared.
Now chiefs at ITV’s Love Island are thought to be eager to get Elena on the dating reality series. Nearly four million viewers tuned in nightly earlier this year to the last series which filmed in South Africa.
Relatives of famous people have fared well in the past. Dani Dyer, daughter of EastEnder Danny, won in 2018.
But ITV is likely to be disappointed because Elena reckons she is too busy being Rita’s manager.
Elena was just 18 when Rita’s Albanian parents, who had grown up in Kosovo, decided she would be more suited to the role than them because she had been to school in the UK.
As well as sisters, the pair are best friends and are rarely separated. Elena goes on tour with Rita around the globe and they regularly shares snaps on Instagram and both like posing for sexy selfies.
They remain a tight-knit family with dad Besnik, mum Vera and younger brother Don.
This week Elena posted pictures of her and Rita with their mum on the luxury Italian island of Capri at a charity dinner for Unicef. Rita is an ambassador for Unicef UK.
Previously, Elena has opened up about the challenges of working with Rita.
She said: “It’s harder as it’s not just a job and it’s difficult for people to understand that. This is my life, passion and work and the legacy we want to leave together.”
She also revealed that for the past five years she has been writing a book about her life and experiences.
Rita was just one when her parents fled persecution in Kosovo, for the UK.
Besnik ran a pub and Vera worked as a psychiatrist and GP. Vera returned to the medical front line in March, supporting A&E staff during the coronavirus outbreak.
Rita began singing at open mic sessions around London and in her dad’s pub.
Her talent was spotted by rapper Jay-Z who he signed her to his Roc Nation label. In 2012 she had a hat-trick of number one singles – Hot Right Now, R.I.P, and How We Do (Party). Her debut album also went straight to number one. She holds the record for the most Top Ten singles by a female artist in the UK, with 13.
She went to war with Roc Nation in 2015, claiming she had been neglected and demanding to be released from her contract.
Her third album has been delayed by the pandemic and is not likely to be out until next year.
Rita has landed jobs as judges on ITV’s The X Factor and The Masked Singer.
And thanks to lucrative deals Elena has helped secure – such as with German fashion house Escada, jeweller Thomas Sabo and the shoemaker Deichmann – Rita is worth £20million.
Elena said: “I started out helping my sister, Rita, look for a manager and a lawyer to represent her. Through this search we met Sarah Stennett [First Access Entertainment CEO].
“I was 19 or 20 at the time, and was still at university. Sarah offered to mentor me while I was still studying. As soon as I had graduated, I joined the First Access team full time to help manage Rita alongside Sarah.”
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She said: “We have achieved a lot of groundbreaking things in our journey so far – some of which have been ‘firsts’ for a UK female artist.
“For example, Rita being the first to launch a collaboration with adidas at the same time as topping the UK album and singles charts simultaneously. I was also very proud of Rita’s performance at the Oscars 2015, shortly after her role in Fifty Shades Of Grey.
“Being able to mix the worlds of music, fashion and film, in the same vein as iconic women such as Aaliyah and Whitney Houston did in the past, helps continue to set the tone for female artists to explore and express their creativity in a multifaceted way.”
One of Elena’s closest pals is ex The Only Way Is Essex star Vas J Morgan, 31. She does not share images of herself with love interests and is rarely linked with potential suitors.
In 2014 she sparked controversy when she was seen enjoying a cosy lunch with Francesco Carrozzini, 37 – the then boyfriend of singer Lana Del Ray, 35.
But the Italian photographer, now married to fashion guru Anna Wintour’s daughter, Bee, denied anything was going on.
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