Emily Simpson Almost Took A Break from ‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’ Amid Her Son’s Health Diagnosis

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The Real Housewives of Orange County Is Back for Its Landmark 19th Season, But One Recurring Housewife Almost Chose to Take a Break from the Reality Series – and that’s Emily Simpson.

Simpson, Who Joined the Inaugural Real Housewives Franchise Durying ITS 13th Season in 2018, Revealed During Last Week’s Premiere That Her Son Had Been Diagnod With A Rare Medical Condition Called Arfid (Avoidant/Restrictive Food.

“The Nutritionist Was Explaing to ME DOOSNN’T UNDERDAND THAT HUNGRY. FOOD, in General, Disgusts Him,” She Told Her Husband, SHANE SIMPEER, Dving Season 19 “We Offer It to HIM, But WE DON’T FORCE HIM.”

The Reality Star Tells The Hollywood Reporter That Season 19 Was Particularly Difficult to Juggle as Her Child’s Health Diagnosis “Was Happing in Real Time.”

“Luke[‘s diagnosis] Was Really Challenging Because It Was HapPening in Real Time. I wasn’t just reflexing back on someting that we [went] THRUGH AS A FAMILY, OR ME as A MOM OR A PARANT… I WAS LITERALLY TRYING TO NAVIGATE IT AND FILM The SHOW AT SAME TIM Need to take a break and not do it? ”

Ultimately, she settled on Not Walking Away from the Show Because “It Was Important to Just Navigate It As Best I COURCK

Below, Simpson Tells Thr What Advice She’d Give Fellow Parents Navigating Similar Experiences, WHICH WOMEN HAVN HER The MOST SUPPORT Following Her Son’s Diagnosis and Whoason 19 Rhoc.

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This is your Seventh Season as an orange County Housewife, But Does It Ever Get Easier Doing This Show and Putting Your Life Out for the World and Being Involved With The Group of

You Know, I Don’t Really Feel Like It’s Ever A Question of [being on the show being] Easy or Hard, Because I Always Go Into It Just Being MySelf and Talking About Real Things and Being Who I am, and that’s Never Really Changed. I Think Maybe The Part That Gets Easier Is The Fact What You Just Become More Numb, Kind of, To The Reaction of Social Media, You Know What I Mean? Because It’s Hard to put yournself out there. I Feel Like Most People On Social Media Being Mean, they enjoy that. I would say the easier part is just getting to the point whot you’re just numb to it.

This Season You’re Going to Be Having A Very Emotion Journy, and Your Son Was DIAGNOSED with A Very Rare Medical Condition [called avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)]. How is He Doing Now, and What Was That Like For You To Navigate Such A Majoor Life Shift in the Middle of this Season?

IT WAS RELALLY challenging and struggling for me. You Know, WHEN WE’RE HOUSWIVES AND WE’RE TALKING About Our Lives, We’re Being Open and HONEST, A LOT OF TIMES WE REFLECT ONES THAT WE’V GONE THROUGH IN AROUR PAST. OR, LIKE WHEN I FIRST CAME ON THE SHOW, I WOURT TALK About My Fertility Journy and How Long It Took Me to Have Kids, And How Dificult It Was That Past. The Thing Came Up with Luke [this season] Was Really Challenging Because It Was HapPening in Real Time. I wasn’t just reflexing back on someting that we [went] Through as a Family, or me as a mom or a pant, or how shane and i Were dealing with it. I was Literally Trying to Navigate It and Film the Show at the Same Time, and It Was Really Challenging.

There Were Lots of Times WHEN I WAS FILMING, WHEN I FELT LIKE I shouldn’t be there, i should be at homeand it was just hard. IT WAS A struggle. SHANE AND I WEEN’T ON SAME Page A Lot, and We Were Trying To Figure Out How To Parent Him, And there Were Multiple Times Where I Thought, Do i need to take a break and not do dois? But i felt life it was important to just navigate it as best i could, and to talk about it and to be open about it. And the I Really Thought at Some Point, WHEN The AUDIENCE SEES THIS, I’ll Probably Get A Lot of Answers and Help from Our Audence, Because They Amazing, Anna Really.

If You Could Give Any Advice to Another Parent Who Was Navigating A Similar Sity to Yourself, What Wuld You Say Toam?

I would Say One, Find People That You Trust, That Are Parents, That Are Moms, That You Can Can Talk To, Because It Gets SO OverWhelming. You Really Need to Be ABLE TO TALK About It and Release, and Have Someone Say, “You’re Doing A Good Job, Everything’s Going to Be Okay.” I would Say Secondly, to get as Much Outside Help as Possible. We Spent A Lot of Time Going to Therapy, Talking to Theraps, Luke Going to Therapy, SHANE AND I GOING TO Therapy, Because I Thought IT’S JUST SO IMPORTANT HIM. And then lastly, i would say, no matter how Diflicult It is, just to Stick Together as Parents. I MEAN, SHANE AND I WEEN’T ALWAYS ON SAME PAGE, AND I THINK We Disagrated on a Lot of Things, But at the End of the Day, We Have The Same Goal, [which] Was to be the best that we were for him, and we just had to stick to that goal and work through it.

Who did you find out of this graup of women was the most supeporective of your personal journey through this season?

First of All, All of the Women Were So Kind and Support. Obviously, Gina [Kirschenheiter] and i are super close, so i share a lot of things with her. But Heather [Dubrow] is Also Such A Great AdvoCate, Because She’s Just Such A Good Mom. She and [her husband] Terry [Dubrow] have an amazing reactionship, and they’re just a great example of a margin. SO I REALLY DO TO HEATHER A LOT FOR PARENTING/MarRIGE QUESTIONS, AND she’S always so so helpful and caring. She was constantly asking about luke and how he was doing, and if i needed to talk, and she was always reaching out. I would Say All the Women Were Support, and Ten Gina and Heather, I Think, Really Just The Extra Mile to Really Be.

Thank you so much for Opening up about that. What Are You Most Excited for Fans to See from You and the Women this UpcomING SEASON?

For me, i just feel as if this Season Even Tops the Last Two[Seasonsof[seasonsofRhoc]. And I Know The Last Two Seasons Were Great and They Were Well Received, and The Fans Really Enjoyed Them and they Were Like, “OC is Back, and Oc is Amazing!” And I Feel Like This Season Is Even Better than the Last Two. I Think People Will Be Even More Invested, More Excited and There’ll Just Be More of A Buzz About the Show, Because and Just Think It’s A Great Cast. We have such deep reactionships. There’s So Many Dynamics Going on, and Everything’s Really Interesting, and Its Plays Out. I Just Think The Fans Are Really Going to Love this Season.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE HAVING GRETCHEN [Rossi] Join, or Should I Say Rejoin, The Mix With This Particular Group of Women?

You Know, It’s Hard for Me to Answer That Question, Because I Feel Like There’s So Many Different Ways that and See Gretchen and Think of Gretchen, So I Don’Tel. I Feel Like Gretchen Is Kind of An Enigma to Me. I MEAN, I DO THINK THAT SHE TRIED VERY HARD TO FRIENDS WITH Everyone, to Assimilate and I Think She Did A Good Job Doing That, As Far As, You Know, Wanting To Be Friends [with the women]Wanting to Open up, Wanting to get to Know Everyone. I would say her reactionship with tamra [Judge] is an Ongoing Cycle of Back and Forte That – I DON’T KNOW, IT’S JUST HARD FOR ME TO DEAL COMPLETE TWO OF THEM (Laughs). I Just Feel Like Every Time One Is Accounting The Other of Something, The Other One’s Accessing the Other, and the this is Just Back and Forth. There’s Just Such A History Between the Two Of Them, There’s Like 15 Years. I Feel Like They Just Get Into Their Rolodex, Andy Just Start Pulling Out Stuff and Is A Lot Between atm. I don’t know ifshll ever be any resolution there.

I’m Excited to See Those Dynamics Play Out Between atm While Having Her Back. Out of all the women, who surprised you the most this season? And WHERE DO YOUR RELATIONSHIPS STAND COMPLETH The WOMEN NOW?

I would Say i have a good relaction with everyone of all katie [Ginella]. I MEAN, I DON’T HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HER, BUT EVERYONE ELSE I HAVE A Good Relationship with. And you Know, I Feel Like I have a good relatation with the women Because I work hard to have a good reactionship with them. I KNOW AND Understand that We’re A Group of Friends and that Show Is So Much Better if We’re Involved In Each Other’s Lives, And that We Actual Care About Each. And THAT WAY, WHEN THERE’S SHIFTS IN THE RELATIONSIPS, OR Someone’s UPSET WITH Someone, or Someone Hurts Someone, or We Have to Resolve Something Between Us. Each Other’s Lives.

I felt like jen [Pedranti] Was Very Strong this Season on Her Own. I Think She’s Better not with Katie, so i THINK THAT WAS GOOD FOR HER, ACTUALLY, TO NOT HAVE TO ALWAYS NAVIGATE THAT FRIENCIP. She Kind of Branched Out, And I Think That Was Great for Her, Because I Think Shee Amazing Cast Member. I Think It’s Good for Her to Really Make Friends of Than Katie, So I Think That Was Good. Shannon [Storms Beador]’s fun this year. I Think It’s Fun to See Her Not Having A Crisis – WHICH She Normally Does, Like Every Season Ison Is A Different Crisis that Shannon’s Navigating. But I Thought It Was Really Fun this Season that Shannon Wasn’t Actulely Going Through Some Kind of Personal Crisis, So She Got to Be More of Herself and Feel Herself. Her Daughters Are Older and She’s Stepping Into This New Life of Navigating It Kids at Home and Dating Lots of Guys, And I TOUGHT THAT WASS Shenanigans.

You meentied that you and katie don’t realy have that friendlyip Right now. DID YOU GUYS MAKE Any LEEWAY THRUGHOUT The Season? Or are you just pretty Much on the Same Page?

No, i do not have a friendSip with her, nor will i Ever.

If You Could, Summarize The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 19 in Just Three Words.

OH My GOSH. I Hate It When i’m Limited to Words, Because and Talk SO Much (Laughs). I Feel As if People Really Need to Stick Through The Season, Because the Ending Is Very Uncomfortable For Me. It Was Shocking and It Was Confusion, SO I Feel Like That’s A Good Cliffhanger.

New Episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County Air at 9 pm thursdays on bravo. New Episodes Are Available to Stream on Peacock On Fridays.