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Rulla Nehme Pontarelli finds herself in a situation where her husband, Brian Pontarelli, has some serious explaining to do.
In the inaugural season of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, Brian has swiftly become embroiled in controversy due to rumors of an affair with an unidentified woman. During the second episode, Rulla disclosed that Brian had been unfaithful a year before. Despite her insistence that his indiscretions were a thing of the past, her fellow cast members seemed skeptical.
The latest episode of RHORI adds fuel to the fire when Jo-Ellen Tiberi comes across a video that allegedly confirms Brian’s ongoing involvement with the mysterious “blonde woman” during filming. Captured just two days before a polo event featured in the prior episode, the video purportedly shows Brian embracing, kissing, and, as the Housewives claim, inappropriately touching the woman.
While fans will have to wait until next week to see Rulla’s reaction to this video, we’re delving into the burning questions surrounding this alleged affair. Who exactly is Brian’s rumored mistress? And are he and Rulla still together? Here’s what we’ve uncovered so far.
Who is Brian Pontarelli’s mistress?
The woman reportedly involved with Brian is Beth Walker, a medical aesthetician based in Cranston. Although details about her are scarce, she hasn’t shied away from speaking out about their supposed relationship. In an Instagram post that has since been removed, she hinted at a two-and-a-half-year affair, seemingly with Brian. Another deleted post shows her filming her drink at a bar, where a bartender can be distinctly heard asking, “Brian, what’s the drink?” Both posts included the #RHORI hashtag, and Walker even tagged Bravo in an April 8 post promoting her business.
Why is Brian Pontarelli suing his alleged mistress?
Brian reportedly filed a lawsuit against Walker for breach of contract last month, claiming she broke an NDA she signed amid their relationship by posting photos and videos of or referencing him. Walker has since filed a countersuit against Brian, claiming the NDA was “illegal and unenforceable” since he had talked about their affair first on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island. She also alleges that he made false, “defamatory and disparaging” comments about her both on the show and on Watch What Happens Live.
Walker’s lawyer told The Providence Journal, “A public narrative has been created around my client, but narrative and facts are not always the same thing. As this unfolds, the evidence will tell a very different story.”
Rulla, however, shared a different narrative during a recent interview with Parade. While speaking to the outlet, she said the NDA was the “result of something else that was going on” because Brian had made Walker a “minority owner” in his business. “It had to do with business matters, and a prior issue, not a don’t talk because of the show situation,” she claimed. “So, that’s sort of been taken out of context.”
Are Rulla and Brian still together?
As of their April 26 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Rulla and Brian are still working on their marriage. Rulla told host Andy Cohen, “I don’t think that Brian is a bad person. I think he’s good to the core, but has made some grave mistakes and a bad series of choices.” Meanwhile, Brian, who was seated in the audience, said, “I was a different person then than I am now. I realize what an amazing woman my wife is. The only thing that matters to me now is my wife and children. I just want to move forward.”
As for whether he was still engaging with the mistress at the time the show was filmed, Brian insisted that they were not involved with each other romantically, but that he would allegedly receive “hate texts” from her. “It was more she was bitter that I was on the show or that I was trying to make my marriage work,” he claimed.
How to watch The Real Housewives of Rhode Island:
Those looking to watch The Real Housewives of Rhode Island will need access to Bravo and/or Peacock. If you have a cable subscription, you can access the network on the BravoTV website, or stream the show live on platforms like Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV when it airs on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT. New episodes also become available the next day on Peacock.
Peacock currently offers two subscription types: Premium with ads and Premium Plus ad-free. Peacock Premium costs $10.99/month, while Premium Plus costs $16.99/month.
You can save a bit by subscribing to one of Peacock’s annual plans, which give you 12 months for the price of 10. These cost either $109.99 with ads or $169.99 without ads.
Peacock Premium Plus is also available to subscribe to via Prime Video with a seven-day free trial that you can’t get by subscribing directly on Peacock.