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Shannon Beador is speaking out about the drama of “Real Housewives of Orange County” season 18, including the aftermath of her drunk driving accident and arrest.
“Extra’s” Melvin Roberts spoke with Shannon about the aftermath of the incident, including that shocking bloody selfie seen on “RHOC.”
When asked if the show was difficult to watch, Shannon replied, “The episode that just aired was a really rough night for me. Honestly, it was the toughest night I’ve had in 10 years of filming. I don’t want to sound like a victim, but I do feel like I’m in a precarious situation. But all the show has taught me is that I can survive and I can make a positive change even in such dark situations.”
She said: “It’s painful to look back. I feel like I’m only moving in a positive direction now, but I still have a long way to go. It’s a lifelong process for me, but it’s painful to look back and remember how hard it was.”
Regarding all the headlines surrounding the incident, Shannon commented, “I got arrested for DUI to set an example for my daughters. I was physically injured, I broke some bones. It was really humiliating to do that at 60 years old. And the best part is that no one was hurt. I’m grateful for that, because I don’t know how I would have handled it if I had done that.”
She continued, “It made me reflect and realize the changes I needed to make in my life.”
Shannon also opened up about how “tough” it was to talk to her kids about drink driving.
Ms. Beader said, “My kids were all at college so none of them were home. I explained to them how sorry I was and I kept apologizing and apologizing, and finally they were like, ‘Mom, I see you’re trying to turn your life around, so stop apologizing.’ So I went to a treatment program for a month and got over the shame and guilt. I still feel shame and guilt, but it’s hard not to think about it. I feel so guilty and so ashamed of what I did.”
Shannon chose to go to the Behavioral Wellness Center because they had an alcohol-related program. She explained, “I was feeling miserable, so I was using alcohol as a coping mechanism. So I needed to understand why I was making harmful choices in my life and whether drinking or drinking a lot of alcohol at certain times was a contributing factor. But I wanted to dig deeper, and I’m glad I chose their program.”
“I continue to see the psychiatrist and therapist I worked with every week, and it’s been really good for me,” she said.
Speaking about how she has grown, Shannon said, “I don’t drink alcohol to cope. I have different coping mechanisms now. I go for walks, I do breathing exercises, I use ice packs. I have different ways of dealing with certain situations.”
She added, “Then I had to take a look at myself. Everybody goes through things in life and I just pushed it aside and kept going. And now I’m starting to think about some of the things that have happened throughout my life and how they’ve shaped who I am today.”
She also shared her co-stars’ reactions, saying, “The person who supported me was Vicki Gunvalson. She actually invited me into her home and lived with me for a while.”
This season, Alexis Bellino returned to the show. Shannon admitted about Alexis’ relationship with ex-boyfriend John Jansen, “It was hard…John and I got back together, even though we wanted to say it wasn’t. And then about six weeks after he ended it the second time, he met Alexis. So when I met them, they’d been dating for about two months, I think, so it was a very new relationship. So it was awkward and it was hurtful. I was still going through a lot emotionally, and I still am.”
She commented, “I don’t want to get back together with John. John and I didn’t get along. It was a very toxic relationship. But I don’t think she was a nice person and I don’t want to be in a relationship with her. Why would I do that? Who would? I think anyone in my position would say the same thing.”
Beador also has no plans to reconcile with Tamra Judge. “Tamra has repeatedly said that Shannon is an alcoholic. She is right that I used alcohol to cope, and I have publicly admitted this many times. The problem is that there are now new allegations and Tamra seems stuck in the past. She has no idea what I’ve done, what I’m working on, and what I continue to work on,” she says.
“If Tamra hasn’t spoken about me, I don’t really know what else she’s going to say this season,” Shannon argued. “It would be a shame for fans and viewers to believe what she’s saying about me, because she’s not telling the whole truth about me. I know who I am, and so do the people closest to me, and that’s enough for me.”
“Even when she’s mean and cruel, I’m no longer interested,” Shannon emphasized. “We’ve had our ups and downs for 10 years, but I always end up going back. It’s not healthy for me to enter into a toxic friendship. It’s a sign of growth within me to say, ‘I’m setting boundaries and we can’t be friends anymore.'”
“RHOC” airs Thursdays on Bravo.
