By Anya

If over two years of following and writing about the Gosselin family has taught me anything, it is that people are not only interested in Jon and Kate, but also their loved ones, friends, business associates and neighbors. Wait – I don’t think anyone is really interested in their neighbors, but their neighbors (well, one or two in particular) seem awfully interested in Jon and Kate!

Curiosity about the Gosselins comes at a price for their families and close acquaintances. Look at the example of poor Gina Neild and how her name has been dragged through the mud by bloggers with an agenda. Most of Kate’s family and all of Jon’s family has said “no thank you” to this unwanted and frequently invasive attention.

The newest target of persistent speculation and attention is Ellen Ross, Jon Gosselin’s girlfriend since this spring. Despite the fact that Ellen has kept a low profile, the media have made it their mission to photograph her and to dig for information about her. Various blogs have weighed in with judgments – some positive and some negative, but mostly based on conjecture and personal opinion.

If you know IW, you know we are not big on hearsay. We have seen firsthand the damage that internet gossip can cause. The tabloids cause additional harm in their quest for juicy stories over the truth. So when Ellen Ross agreed to be interviewed by us, we were grateful for the opportunity to allow her to address what she perceives as the misconceptions and lies that have been spread about Jon and her.

Just as background: we submitted our questions to Ms. Ross and she responded by email. She said she preferred this method as it allowed her to be more thoughtful with her responses. We asked Ms. Ross to comment on several issues that we thought IW readers would be interested in. While she answered the majority of our questions, there were several she did not. Those questions generally involved Jon’s family and children. When she was unwilling to answer a question, she generally indicated the reason was that she did not feel it was her place to do so. Do we wish she had answered a few more questions? Sure. Do we respect her for not doing so? Yes.

Following is our interview with Ellen Ross.

Q: How did you and Jon meet? Were you aware of who he was?
A: Jon and I met through mutual friends. I knew who he was.

Q: Did you watch “Jon and Kate Plus 8?”
A: I only watched a few episodes here and there, but I didn’t really follow it.

Q: Did Jon’s reputation as a ladies man give you pause at first?
A: To me, Jon does not have a reputation as a “ladies man.”  What the media perceives and believes of him, and how he is in real life, to the people that know him on a daily basis, are two totally different things.

Q: What attracted you to Jon?
A: He is very down to earth, funny, caring, and a very strong person.

Q: What qualities in Jon do you find admirable?
A: He’s very sweet, down to earth, and funny. I was always told that it’s very important to find a guy that can make you laugh. We have the same kind of personality so I think that’s why we get along so well.

Q: What is the one thing you have most in common with Jon?
A: We can make each other laugh.

Q: What have been the challenges of dating someone in the public eye?
A: Once you date someone in the public eye, you are in the public eye yourself.  At first I thought it would be hard to deal with the criticism, but everyone close to me knows the truth and they support Jon and me 100% and that is most important to me. I don’t get caught up with what the magazines and internet say.

Q: How do feel about the paparazzi?  Do they just pop up? Do you have a specific game plan for dealing with them?
A: It is definitely a new thing for me, I just pretend they aren’t there and go about doing my thing.  I don’t speak to them or look directly at them.

Q: What are your career goals and aspirations?
A: I work for the state government and I have been there for 5 years.

Q: Do you have experience dealing with young children (i.e. do you have younger siblings/cousins). What are the fun parts of spending time with the kids? How exhausting is it!?
A: My younger brother and I are very close. Many of my friends have children and I enjoy spending time with kids.

Q: Were you nervous when Jon introduced you to his children?
A: Not at all.

Q: Have you met anyone in Jon’s family besides his children?
A: We attend regular family get togethers such as birthdays and cookouts, but beyond that I prefer not discuss as I don’t consider it my place to do so.

Q: Do you guys have any special plans for the summer?
A: We plan to do regular “couple” things such as cookouts, beach, family parties, day trips, etc.

Q: In what areas do you feel Jon especially excels as a dad?
A: The kids are always ecstatic to see him. He is always interacting with them and they are always smiling and laughing. They ALWAYS have fun with him.

Q: How did you feel about Jon tattooing your name on his back?
A: I have always supported anyone’s wished to get a tattoo as I feel it’s a form of self expression.

Q: Some websites are reporting that the Korean characters spell out Erin instead of Ellen. Any comment?
A: Korean writing is transposed differently into English. The translation is correct. It does read Ellen.

Q: How many days a week do you typically see Jon? How do you stay in touch when you are not together?
A: Jon and I are together as much as our schedules permit. We use our cell phones to keep in touch if we aren’t together.

Q: We have seen pictures of Jon and you walking a dog. Is this your pet? Do you care to share some details (name, breed, how long you have had him/her)?
A: I have 3 Chihuahuas. Pixie is 5 years old, Grace is 3 years old, and Stella is about 8 months old.  Grace is in the picture of me and Jon. I love my dogs and I take them with me almost everywhere I go. I attend a lot of dog/chihuahua events with them and am a part of a few Chihuahua forums on the internet.

Q: US Magazine ran a story recently from unnamed sources stating you “hate kids” and were basically pursuing the relationship with Jon for publicity. Please comment.
A: Anyone can say anything they want and come off as a “reliable source.” Those who know me, know that it’s not true and that’s what is important to me. I have never hated kids or said that I hated them.

Q: What are the largest public misconceptions that you would like to clear up about yourself, Jon or the two of you as a couple?
A: I am not with Jon for the fame. I obviously have to accept the publicity that comes with him and the relationship and embrace it as much as I can.  We do regular things just like a regular couple would. It just so happens that our relationship is a bit more public than others.

Q: Imperfectwomen.com believes in being upfront about the fact that we are works in progress and none of us are perfect. Would you share one of your imperfections?
A: Like a lot of other people, sometimes I let what other people say get to me, but I’ve definitely been working on that and I think I’m doing a pretty good job so far.

Q: Team Edward or Team Jacob
A: Team Jacob!!! I switched over!

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