Nia Booko from The Valley might be tight with her co-stars, especially Michelle Lally, but the former Miss USA said she didn’t know her marriage was as bad as it was.
In an interview with Bravo’s The Daily Dish, Nia discussed watching Michelle and Jesse Lally’s relationship woes play out on camera and how seeing it back shifted her opinion of their union.
Nia said Michelle always put on a “brave face” around the cast of The Valley…
Despite spending one-on-one time with Michelle, Nia said she wasn’t aware of what Michelle was going through. “I mean, I think the most recent and kind of clear thing was about a week or two ago,” she said. “I text Michelle and I said, ‘I’m so sorry that I didn’t know what was really going on with you and Jesse on a deeper level,’ and I didn’t realize how unhealthy it was and how sad she was.”
She told The Daily Dish that Michelle always wore a “brave face” while filming with the other ladies, including Kristen Doute and Brittany Cartwright.
“She said that she wasn’t happy, but I didn’t realize it was so bad,” Nia said.
However, watching certain scenes on television—like Jesse and Michelle’s home life—helped put things into perspective.
“So things like that, watching it back going, ‘Oh, my gosh, they were really, really unhappy for quite some time,’” Nia said. “And I just wasn’t aware of how it really was.”
Nia says she understands the reason for Michelle and Jesse’s split after watching them on The Valley…
If you’ve been keeping up with The Valley, then you likely saw the epic fight between Jesse, Michelle, Kristen, and Luke Broderick in the hallway. Jesse charged at Luke after the latter made a shady comment toward him about his wife. And it all stemmed from Kristen’s rumors about their marriage.
Nia said the moment was “more intense” on television since she “was not in the hallway, and I didn’t see what was really going on.”
Despite being a “hopeless romantic,” the reality star said that after watching their struggles on air, she “absolutely” understood the reason for their split.
Jesse and Michelle addressed their separation days before The Valley premiere, saying watchers would see it all unfold. “We’ve been together for a long time and married, but you get to see our real struggles. You’re gonna see that we have separated,” Michelle said.
The Valley continues on Bravo on Tuesdays at 9/8c.
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE WITH NIA? DOES JESSE AND MICHELLE’S SPLIT MAKE MORE SENSE?
