Today Meghan Edmonds announced her decision to leave Real Housewives Of Orange County. After three seasons, Meghan says it was a “multi-faceted” and difficult decision, and one made with her growing family in mind. I think we all predicted Meghan wasn’t returning after revealing that she was pregnant with twins.
In her personal blog Meghan explained her love-hate relationship with filming and why she ultimately decided to quit and make the move back to St. Louis near family. Ironically, as Meghan herself writes, she is leaving RHOC, to “become an actual real housewife of sorts.”
“I’m sad to leave RHOC, I’m sad to leave Orange County,” Meghan shares. “I wasn’t ready to make this decision for another year but I felt it was time now.”
Citing the “massive emotional toll” as well as the physical one, Meghan admits, “filming is grueling!” Despite many trying seasons (in Meghan’s first season Jim’s first wife passed away from cancer and she also dealt with the horrendous Brooks mess, and in her second season she underwent IVF); Meghan says, “my third season takes the cake.”
Juggling filming while learning to be a mother and dealing with Jim’s travel schedule was incredibly stressful. “Season 12 was a real challenge for me,” Meghan describes. “Again, I was hormonal and EXHAUSTED. My mind was often foggy as I filmed but I put on a great face and did it because I loved being a Housewife and was so grateful for my opportunity.” Meghan adds that she hired her cousin as a live-in nanny purely to “to allow me the flexibility to meet my obligations of continuous days and long hours of filming, traveling, etc.”
“It was only after the season was filmed that I felt I was finally out of the newborn fog and I could look back on the past few months of season 12 with clarity,” Meghan continues. “I had no idea how exhausted I actually was until I wasn’t exhausted anymore!” There were rumors before season 12 filmed that Meghan wasn’t coming back then either, so it seems like this decision has been brewing for a while.
Despite all of this Meghan still had plans to return for lucky season 13 – until the reunion and learning she was expecting twins! “As I was filming the season 12 reunion I knew in my heart I was done: this wasn’t my place anymore. (The funny thing is that going into the reunion I was so committed to coming back for season 13; just one more season before the twins were born.).” Meghan was only 5 weeks pregnant at the reunion, but “already exhausted.”
“I knew that I was going to have a long pregnancy growing the twins and it would be next to impossible to film. I could do it, but did I really want to? Twin pregnancies must be treated more delicately than a singleton pregnancy and are high-risk by default, so I also wanted to have a peaceful pregnancy with positive influences. Consistent positive influences are harder to find on RHOC!” Wait – so Vicki isn’t positive influence?! You don’t say…
One of Meghan’s surprising revelations is that Jim actually encouraged her to stay! He always seemed so disengaged and disgusted with the show (and even with Meghan herself), but I guess this just perfectly illustrates how the camera doesn’t always show the complete story. “In October when I told Jimmy I was finished he urged me to take a couple weeks to think on it before I called Andy Cohen. So I did,” Meghan details. “And then over Thanksgiving Andy and I met up in our shared hometown of St Louis and I told him about our impending twins as well as my intent to leave the show. He was completely understanding. In fact, all of production has been nothing but understanding and supportive of me and my decisions every step of the way.”
With RHOC out of the way, Meghan has relocated full-time to St. Louis where she is near her family, as well as Jim’s children from his second marriage.
Meghan leaves RHOC with lasting good feelings towards the experience and people – from “everyone behind the scenes from the tip top of the totem pole down to the production assistants” who became “like family” to the “soul sisters” she found in Shannon and Tamra. “That can’t be lost,” concludes Meghan emphatically, “They have touched my heart and I would do anything for them and I know they feel the same way about me – what a gift to have found that on RHOC!”
Well best of luck to Meghan and Jim in their new adventures!
Peggy Sulahian & Lydia McLaughlin Returning For RHOC Season 13?
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED MEGHAN IS LEAVING? ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED OR GLAD?
[Photo Credit: Instagram]
