The early seasons of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills were sometimes far from glamorous.They were sometimes dark. Taylor Armstrong was allegedly abused by her husband, Russell Armstrong. In July of 2011, Taylor filed for divorce. Tragically, Russell committed suicide in August of 2011.
In September of 2020, Taylor reflected on Camille Grammer revealing that she was a victim of domestic abuse. The RHOBH alum admitted that there was only one time that she considered quitting the franchise. “When Camille outed my abuse at Lisa Vanderpump’s tea party. I remember staring at one of the producers just dead in the eyes because I didn’t even have anything to say,” Taylor shared. “I knew in that moment that my life was about to change.”
According to Reality Blurb!, Taylor recently discussed her decision to join the franchise on the Hot Takes & Deep Dives podcast. “There was a belief in my mind that you kind of got to tell what reality you wanted to tell and once the cameras are rolling, that’s certainly not the case,” Taylor stated. “You don’t get to filter your reality.” I guess the current cast of RHOBH never got the memo.
Taylor said that Russell was initially looking forward to being on the show. “He was very narcissistic, and I think it was his perception that he was going to be beloved.” But Taylor “was hoping that having the cameras around [was] going to maybe provide some control and some protection from me.” That is really heartbreaking.
Taylor stayed in the relationship because by the time she realized the severity of the situation, she was already pregnant with her daughter, Kennedy Armstrong. Taylor explained, “That took that option, for me, off the table of walking away. The fear of having to share custody with someone who has major anger management issues, it felt better for me to stay and tolerate it myself than send my daughter off with someone who cannot control themselves.”
She didn’t know what would happen once her secret was revealed. “And then in season two, when [Camille Grammer], at the tea party at [Lisa Vanderpump]’s, she said, ‘We don’t say he hits you,’ and that’s when I knew that everything in my life was about to change.” Taylor recalled thinking, “I’m either going to get killed or things are going to get better.”
RELATED: Taylor Armstrong Says Daughter Kennedy Doesn’t Miss Her Late Dad Russell
In May of 2019, during an episode of the of the Watch What Happens Live After Show, Camille explained Lisa’s involvement per Reality Blurb! “[Lisa] really was concerned for Taylor’s well-being and I think she wanted to bring it up and talk about it,” Camille commented. “She wanted me to bring it up.”
When the Hot Takes & Deep Dives podcast host brought up the topic of how Lisa supposedly pushed Camille to mention Taylor’s abuse on camera, Taylor wasn’t sure if that was the case. She commented, “I was not aware of that and I don’t know whether it was determined that was true or not.”
Taylor admitted that Camille was the first person that she confided in about her husband’s abuse. Taylor said, “[Camille] and I had lunch in Malibu, off-camera. I was contemplating what I was going to do in my situation, and I wanted to get her advice.” She added, “I shared some things with her that were going on in my life, about the abuse.”
RELATED: Kelly Dodd Compares Braunwyn Windham-Burke To Taylor Armstrong’s Late Husband Russell; Says She Won’t Be Blamed For Braunwyn’s “Mental Disorders, Alcoholism, Cheating, Violence, And Her Children Being Depressed”
TELL US- DO YOU THINK THAT LISA PUSHED CAMILLE TO REVEAL TAYLOR’S ABUSE? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE TAYLOR RETURN TO RHOBH?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
