With her job as a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star on the line, Taylor Armstrong is opening up!
In a recent interview, loony lips discussed the differences between reality television and reality. Which is interesting, because I really question if she knows!
Taylor claims, the drama viewers see is completely unscripted, and the emotions and relationships are authentic. “We don’t have writers, so everything is just us interacting with one another,” Taylor explains, speaking to Discover San Diego, “but the real conflict that occurs is all on our own, as much as I’m embarrassed to say that,” she laughs.
“All of our relationship drama is very real. Unfortunately, our lives are not cookie cutter like people expected Beverly Hills to be. So I’m happy in a way that people have been able to see so much of how real these women are and that we really care about each other,” she continues.
“And the fact that we get so emotional is because we are truly invested in each other’s lives and we are a part of each other’s lives.” Taylor is glad the show is able to capture those fun moments, as well. “Any time we are all just having fun together, it makes me so happy to see, because we do have our ups and downs and we’ve all been through a lot together.”
And without her friendships to these ladies, Taylor doesn’t know how she would have survived last season’s dramatic storyline; which she believes was so intense because she was willing to expose more of her life on camera. Taylor claims, season one Taylor was a Taylor hiding from reality and viewers got to see a big difference in her authenticity in season two. “When I watched season one of the show, I really didn’t like me, and I was just a shell of myself,” she reveals.
Taylor blames her late husband, Russell Armstrong, of course. “I was trying to keep so much of my personal life off television that I was — it looked like me in some respects, but the way I was dressing and acting didn’t seem anything like me. And that was a real wake-up call, to see how much of myself I had lost in my relationship. And also seeing my relationship play out on television.”
“Although I knew there were things that were wrong, I could see such a difference between the way, just in our physical space together, how we interacted versus other couples on the show. It brought to light a lot, and I think was one of the biggest catalysts for us going into treatment and therapy in the beginning of last year.”
She calls this season, actual reality and says it was impossible to keep the unflattering and emotional parts of her life away from the cameras. “I was just such a mess this last year, I really was just falling apart and I wasn’t able to keep everything that was going on in my personal life under wraps any longer. I knew too many things were going to come out in the press. And so I really was falling apart, and it was happening as much off camera as it was on,” she describes.
Taylor is not disappointed she was on national TV working through her crisis, if anything she feels it’s a poignant reminder of how far she’s come. “I feel like unfortunately that was an accurate portrayal of the state I was in. And in season one, I was just putting on a facade of who I thought people wanted to see, instead of really letting them into my life. Now that my life is just an open book, it’s a much better place to be.”
Taylor credits the show for giving her the courage to expose the truth behind her marriage, and for allowing her to be a voice for domestic violence, although she is shocked by fan reaction to her storyline. “It is surprising at times, because you don’t know how it’s all going to play out and you don’t know what people are saying about you when you’re not around. So that can be surprising,” she says of watching the shows and then learning of viewers’ reactions.
According to Taylor, the best part of being a Real Housewife is the good moments the cameras have captured; particularly Kennedy‘s opulent birthday parties. Taylor also believes the show has given her a platform to really advocate for domestic violence victims, and she has starting her own foundation to further the cause; The Taylor Armstrong Foundation.
The Taylor Armstrong Foundation is a 501 c3 a not-for-profit, that helps local shelters around the country.
[Photo Credit: WENN]
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