heidi cornell

heidi cornell

A 1985 graduate of Mark Morris High School who made her wealth in the fashion industry will be fixed up with eligible bachelors on Thursday night’s new episode of “The Millionaire Matchmaker.”

Longview native Heidi Cornell (formerly Heidi Smith), 42, is the first millionairess to be featured on the Bravo TV series in which matchmaker Patti Stanger attempts to find love for rich clients. The episode airs at 10 p.m. on Bravo.

Cornell, now a resident of Los Angeles, started her career as a sales rep for Calvin Klein and transitioned to product development for major clothing brands. Now she’s CEO of a high-end fashion label, “Young, Fabulous and Broke,” a look inspired by young Hollywood that’s carried at stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue. She also recently launched a new line of embellished T-shirts in a rainbow of colors called “32 Flavors.”

Tuesday, Cornell told The Daily News that someone approached her business partner about being on “The Millionaire Matchmaker,” and Stanger ended up taking Cornell as a client. Cornell agreed to be on the show because she thought it would be great publicity for her company, she said.

“I had already settled down with the fact that I would probably never find love in Los Angeles. ... After (age) 35 in this town, it’s over,” said Cornell, a slim, tanned woman with long, blonde hair and the face of a model. “I work quite a bit. It’s difficult to date in Los Angeles if you hit a certain age. ... If they’re the same age that I am, they’re looking for younger girls.”

Adding to her dating difficulties, Cornell is a single mother. She has a 2-year-old daughter with her former boyfriend, British entrepreneur Andrew de Candole, whose business dealings include building a boutique hotel in Dubai. Both wanted a baby, but the distance between them made their relationship difficult, she said. Baby Caroline has already been on 29 flights to nine countries, and now de Candole visits her in Los Angeles.

According to a Bravo Communications press release, Stanger initially was hesitant to take on Cornell as a client because based on her experience, millionairesses are fickle and difficult to match. But after hearing that Cornell is a single mother who has encountered “ageism” in the Los Angeles dating scene, Stanger softened and made it her mission to find her a mate.

In her trademark blunt style, Stanger told Cornell to get rid of her messy “mermaid” hair, ditch the “mom clothes” and put on a short dress, Cornell said. Then Stanger made critical comments about Cornell’s friends and asked if she was looking to find a daddy for Caroline. (The answer is no — Caroline has a daddy, Cornell told her.)

“She just slaughtered me, basically. ... I thought, ‘Oh, my god, what have I done?’” Cornell said. “She is strict. She definitely is hard on people. Obviously, it’s great for TV, but I think Patti is who she is. She’s a tough character.”

Cornell called Bravo producers in tears, and they talked her through it.

“At first I thought I could handle her, and she came across that she hates me,” Cornell said, adding that after the shooting was finished, she got over her hurt feelings.

Although the men she met at the mixer Stanger arranged were nice, Cornell was skeptical and didn’t feel a connection with anyone.

“I just thought, ‘This is crazy. I don’t want to do this,’” she said. “I just thought I wanted to go back to work and not waste their time.”

But Stanger pushed her to pick two men to sit down with individually for five minutes and then choose one for a proper date. To find out what happens, you’ll have to watch the show, Cornell said. Here’s a hint: there’s a hot tub scene in which she had to wear a bikini, which she said was “awkward.”

Cornell wasn’t concerned that the men were just hoping to marry a rich woman. She can weed those types out quickly, anyway, she said.

“I’m not looking for a millionaire myself. I’m just looking for a great guy,” she said. “I don’t date younger guys, either. They don’t have to be as successful, just someone who has a job and is passionate about life.”

It’s been seven months since the filming wrapped last summer, but Cornell hasn’t been sweating her upcoming TV appearance. She’s seen a couple of clips on You-Tube that she thought were fine, if a little embarrassing.

Cornell invited 50 friends to watch Thursday night’s episode at her house by Sunset Boulevard. Her mom and stepfather, Judy and Jim Bain of Kalama, whom she visits in Cowlitz County about once a year, are flying down for the event.

She still hasn’t found her true love, she said. But she’s been warned there will likely be plenty of interest after “The Millionaire Matchmaker” airs.

Cornell has been talking on the Internet social networking site Facebook to a millionaire featured on last week’s episode of the show, and he’s warned her to be careful.

“He made it sound like it’s a bunch of crazy people who chase reality TV people down,” she said.