The media has been buzzing with news regarding the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, so of course those ladies who love cameras and interviews have been out in full force. Taylor Armstrong, who is promoting her new book Hiding From Reality: My Story of Love, Loss, and Finding the Courage Within, has recently revealed that she was floored to learn that her young daughter Kennedy knew about the abuse she endured at the hands of late husband Russell Armstrong.
Taylor discusses her conundrum in a recent interview with HollywoodLife.com. She states that Kennedy inquired why Taylor could miss her father when he “beat her all the time.” Tragic, to say the least. Taylor says she replied, “I said, ‘You know what, you’re right. Your daddy had a bad temper and that wasn’t okay, but he loved you very much.’”
When trying to explain Russell’s relationship with his young daughter, Taylor reveals, “He never acted out towards my daughter. I try to reinforce ‘Your daddy loves you, and I know he misses you.’”
Going in depth about her past, Taylor admits, “The cycle of violence is a really interesting thing. It happens in a lot of relationships. You think you can change someone, and you can’t. You think that if they hit you for one reason or verbally abuse you for one reason and you don’t do that behavior again that it won’t happen again, and that’s not the case. They will always look for something new.” I am not a Taylor fan, but knowing people who have been in similar situations, I have to agree with her statement.
Meanwhile, Taylor isn’t ready to jump back into the dating pool. She says, “I’m just so happy being single and loving my little girl and being so present with her.” Taylor continues, “If you read my story, I’ve had a boyfriend since the time I was in the sixth grade and for me to be 40 and be so fine with being alone is beautiful. I just flew back from a vacation with my little girl, and we had the most fun that we’ve had in so long.” And go buy her book! 🙂
In other news from Beverly Hills, it has been reported that Kim Richards will be returning for the upcoming season. Now an insider is coming forward and telling Radaronline.com that Kim is trying to get healthy while maintaining the Bravo paycheck.
The source reveals, “Kim needs the money because she has no other way to support herself and her children. She does receive child support from several different men who fathered her kids. Kim was able to negotiate a better salary for the upcoming season, she got a $10k raise. Kim truly didn’t want to do another season because she is still extremely vulnerable and dealing with her sobriety.” This is the opposite of Kim’s friends who say she wanted her recovery documented to help others who may be struggling.
Someone “close to the women” shares that all the women “received a modest raise to come back and do season three. Taylor Armstrong has also become dependent on the show for the income and will be earning around $127,000 for the entire season. None of the cast is paid over $165k for a season of work. People might be surprised to learn how little the women earn from the show, this isn’t per episode, but for an entire season, which Bravo dictates the terms of how long the filming will be for.”
The same source continues, “The ladies won’t get rich from doing the show, but feel the exposure and publicity they get from appearing will be the big payoff. Look at Bethenny Frankel, she never earned more than $100k for being a cast member on the New York Housewives franchise of the show, and she just sold her Skinny Girl alcoholic beverage line for millions of dollars.” Is said source Andy Cohen?
The insider tells the site that everyone involved in next season “seem[s] very excited to begin filming the third season of the show. However, they were all extremely sad and disheartened that Camille Grammer won’t be back, she truly has been the heart and soul of the show. There will be at least two new Housewives on the Beverly Hills cast this season, Bravo hasn’t officially decided who they will be yet.”
Perhaps, said insider isn’t as inside as he/she hoped! Regardless, I am torn on both Taylor and Kim returning. I am not on the hateful Taylor bandwagon (but please know I’m not a fan either). If her allegations are true (and I tend to think they are, regardless of how I feel about how she’s handled things since), I don’t think she is doing herself, or her daughter any favors by letting her life play out on television. Similarly, watching Kim’s breakdown wasn’t entertaining, it was cringe-worthy. I just wish these women would take the time to heal themselves and their families out of the spotlight.
Speaking of someone who is doing just that, Camille is still having issues with her new boyfriend’s ex, and finds herself unwittingly at the center of their custody battle. Her beau Dimitri Charalambopoulos recently obtained a restraining order against his son’s mother, Lisa Chynoweth. Now Lisa is fighting back, wanting to move their son from Texas to Colorado…closer to her family and farther from his father.
Radaronline.com is reporting that Lisa submitted a sworn declaration to the court, stating, “I do not believe it is in the best interest of our son to be subject to the social media, paparazzi, and social pressures of the type of lifestyle his father has chosen to live. Because of Camille Grammar’s publicizing her relationship with Dimitri on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Dimitri is now being referred to all over the Internet as a ‘Boy Toy’..This negative publicity is harmful and devastating to the self-image of our nine-year-old son.”
However, a source close to Camille is quick to point out that her relationship with Dimitri is why she decided not to return to RHOBH, as producers wanted “her to have Dimitri on the show, and have their relationship play out on camera, along with her children.”
The source states, “Camille was steadfast on her decision to not put that part of her life on the show, and she ended up walking away…No one told her to do that, not a judge, her lawyers, Dimitri, that was Camille’s decision.” Further, “Camille has never met Marcus! Camille thinks it’s just too soon to meet him, even though she has been dating his dad for almost eight months. Camille is fully supportive of Dimitri’s relationship with Marcus, and would love to meet him one day when it’s appropriate.”
The insider continues, “Camille has been through her own custody battle with her two children, and her ex-husband, Kelsey Grammer, and Camille knows that the children come first, period. Dimitri can’t believe how down to earth and level headed Camille is, it’s not what he has been used to at all.”
I am glad to hear that Camille is taking the high road with this situation and her life. Who knew that the most vilified season one housewife could make such positive turn-around?
THOUGHTS ON TAYLOR’S INTERVIEW? DO YOU THINK KENNEDY WAS AWARE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON AROUND HER? SHOULD TAYLOR RETURN? SHOULD KIM RETURN? COULD BEING ON A REALITY SHOW HINDER HER RECOVERY? COMMENTS ON CAMILLE’S RECENT DRAMA?
[Photo Credit: Nikki Nelson/WENN]
