Well, oh my. In what is another case of reality being more interesting than reality TV, it seems Gretchen Rossi‘s never-ending court battle with alleged ex-boyfriend Jay Photoglou will now be involving her Real Housewives of Orange County co-stars!
Here’s the backstory: Gretchen joined RHOC as the supposed fiancé of millionaire Jeff Beitzel, who was suffering from leukemia. Jeff passed away shortly after filming ended in 2008. Jay allegedly contacted Tamra Barney to spill the news that Gretchen was lying about her relationship to Jeff and using him to be on the show meanwhile he, Jay, was her real boyfriend! Whoopsie! Tamra confronted Gretchen, which began their seasons long feud.
Gretchen attempted to file a restraining order against Jay, but it was summarily dismissed. Thus began the long drawn-out court battle between Jay and Gretchen over defamation, etc. Gretchen was supposed to pay all of Jay’s legal fees after she lost her court case against him. He retaliated with a defamation lawsuit, and she filed a countersuit.
Well, finally Gretchen and Jay will be facing-off in a civil trial that could get very interesting! The National Enquirer (a more reliable source than you’d think) is reporting that Jay’s attorneys recently deposed Gretchen and she changed her story about when she allegedly met Jay.
CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS OF GRETCHEN AND JAY!
Gretchen had previously claimed he was a “family friend” and they briefly dated before Jeff entered the picture. “Jay Photoglou is nothing more than a thief and liar. Jay and I had a short-lived relationship BEFORE Jeff and I dated,” she said of the situation way back in 2009.
During the deposition, Gretchen also admitted that she “spent time with Jay on at least four separate occasions after she got engaged to her now-deceased fiance.” When the attorneys sought more information she refused to answer further. Just so you know, multiple photos of Jay and Gretchen from that time period are floating around the web – damn that trusty time stamp – including ones that show them hanging out with Alexis and Jim Bellino!
Which brings us to the reason the ladies of RHOC will likely be involved in the civil suit. Jay is planning to subpoena several of Gretchen’s former and current castmates to testify against her, concerning when she met Jay and the type of relationship they shared! On the short list is: Tamra, Peggy Tanous, Lynne Curtain, and guess who? Alexis!
“No matter what, Gretchen is not going to like it when her fellow housewives have to spill the beans about her relationship with Jay Photoglou,” said an insider reveals. “I’m sure no matter what they say, it won’t help Gretchen’s case.” I’m not sure why Gretchen continues to pretend she is innocent in all of this – it’s ridiculous!
What’s interesting about this situation is that Alexis was formerly one of Gretchen’s closest friends, but she has since defected! After a tension-filled season where Alexis openly admitted she is unhappy about Gretchen’s newly burgeoning friendship with Tamra; Jesus Barbie is now speaking out about her new friendship with Vicki Gunvalson!
“Vicki and I have finally turned over a new leaf. We’ve started hanging out outside of the show, which has been nice,” Alexis shares with WetPaint. “I would say I’m cautiously optimistic about it.”
Alexis adds that it’s difficult for her to get past some of the negative things Vicki has said about her in the past, but she wants to think happy thoughts. “I try not to dwell on it,” she explains. “I want to live in the moment and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I think, back when Vicki said all those things about me, she was in a really unhappy place. Now, she’s happy again and in a better place and so far, we’re getting along just fine.”
Proving this friendship is indeed real, Vicki recently tweeted a photo of them at an event. The photo is below!
While, Alexis and Vicki have made amends, and Tamra and Gretchen are now BFF, there’s two people who just can’t see eye-to-eye: Gretchen and Vicki! Gretchen recently spoke out saying she doesn’t “respect” Vicki and has no interest in a relationship with her. And HollywoodLife reveals that things have evolved into a full-fledged feud!
“There’s a feud between Gretchen and Vicki,” the source says. “And Vicki and Alexis are bonding over it. They are also both visibly annoyed about Gretchen and Tamra’s new friendship.” Things are so acrimonious, Gretchen intentionally skipped Vicki’s recent 50th birthday party, which was attended by all of her other castmates!
And finally, Vicki is doing what she does best – talking about herself! In a new interview with US Weekly, Vicki shares her secrets to longevity as a Housewife!
“Number one, I’m the original; Number 2, I’ve allowed the cameras to enter all parts, all facets of my life; and I signed up for this!;” Vicki believes these are the reasons she’s lasted seven seasons on the show. She said her approach to filming is, “This is my reality — come on in through all the issues and struggles and trials — and good times!”
Vicki also adds that things get pretty testy with Tamra as the season goes on – including an epic fight in the season finale where their friendship faces the ultimate test. Things are good between the two now. “We were able to mend the fences and kinda get through it,” she says. “Will I ever forget? uh-huh.” Juicy! I wonder what happened!?
You can watch the video of Vicki talking RHOC below!
THOUGHTS ON GRETCHEN AND JAY’S LATEST COURT BATTLE? WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? IS ALEXIS’ FRIENDSHIP WITH ALEXIS AUTHENTIC? SURPRISED VICKI AND TAMRA HAD SUCH SERIOUS ISSUES?
CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON TO SEE VICKI’S INTERVIEW!
Oh – who’s that I see? Is it Jim – our holy rolling friend – with Gretchen and Jay? Why, I think it is! [Photo Credit: RadarOnline]
Vicki and Alexis at a WinesbyWives event [Photo Credit @vgunvalson]
