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During a recent interview, Shannon Beador candidly revisited her past choice to disclose ex-husband David Beador’s infidelity on the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Orange County.
Reflecting on her extensive tenure of 12 seasons on the Bravo hit, Shannon opened up about the events leading to her explosive altercation with Tamra Judge, now 58, during their time on the Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip. She also shared her thoughts on the reappearance of Vicki Gunvalson, 64, discussed the harsh experiences she endured while filming RHUGT, and how she’s established boundaries on RHOC. Additionally, she gave fans an update on her dating life and commented on RHOC’s landmark 20th season.
In a conversation with OK! Magazine on July 26, Shannon expressed her amazement at the show’s enduring success. “It’s insane when you think about it because not many television shows have been on for that long,” she remarked. Entering the series in Season 9, Shannon initially felt she was late to join the cast. “Now, it’s my 12th year, which is also quite a long time,” she reflected.
“When I get asked, ‘What would you tell Season 9 Shannon?’ I’d say, ‘Do the same thing.’ When you tell the truth, and you’re honest, sometimes to my detriment, it makes it easy to follow the story because some people don’t,” she continued.
According to Shannon, David striking up an affair after her “first day of filming” was the last thing she saw coming.
“I thought that he was getting cocky because we were filming a television show. I had no idea that he was even having an affair. So, to speak about that publicly, it was a lot for me. But I figured, and we discussed it as a family, that if you’re on a reality show, you need to be real,” she noted.
Looking back on production on RHUGT, Shannon admitted her fight with Tamra was “a lot to go through.”
“We were the first party on Ultimate Girls Trip,” she revealed. “It was our role to be in the background, so I entered the party in a silly and fun mode. I did not intend to make anything about myself, but Tamra kept poking.”
While filming, Shannon said Tamra poked fun at her for a missed water bill payment and claimed she projected her heartache over her split from David onto the cast. However, despite Tamra reportedly being the aggressor, Shannon said she was the one who got in trouble.
“At that point, I did get upset. I got in trouble for it, which is the most upsetting part,” she shared. “There were certain Housewives that continually reached out to me. They spoke to other people in production to voice their opinions about it. There were a lot of unkind and very cruel things said about me.”
Getting back to RHOC, Shannon said that she and Tamra went through “ups and downs,” and she doubled down on her need for a boundary between them.
“I still maintain that for me, I needed to create a boundary. At this point with the history that we have, there’s only one person to blame if I get hurt again, and that’s myself for going back. I try to keep a little bit of a safe distance. I don’t think I’m the only one that does. I’ll just leave it there,” she stated.
Regarding Vicki’s return, Shannon spoke of their dynamic.
“She and I have this banter that can’t be duplicated. We’ve stayed very close,” she revealed. “It’s what I’m most excited about this season, because the last couple of years have been a lot of drama for me. Now, I’m able to be silly and have fun. It’s great to have Vicki right next to me to have that fun.”
Also during the interview, Shannon confirmed she was single and enjoying being alone.
“I am very happy right now,” she shared. “But I’m not dating. I always thought that I needed to be attached to a relationship to achieve complete happiness. Now I’m grateful that I have spent the time by myself because I know that I’m going to be okay if I don’t.”
“I do want to find a partner,” she added. “It’s important. But if for some reason I don’t, I’ll be good.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 20 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on Bravo.