Gina Kirschenheiter has sympathy for Shannon Storms Beador as her The Real Housewives of Orange County Costar deals with the aftermath of a recent DUI arrest.
Kirschenheiter, 39, opened up about the recent legal troubles Storms Beador, 59, has run into Orange country podcast on Wednesday, telling co-host Shane McAnally, “Both you and I can identify with what’s going on here, empathize with what’s going on here. Yes, obviously, you can’t ignore … the irony of it, which is the main one.”
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Kirschenheiter herself was pulled over for a traffic violation in 2019 and arrested for driving under the influence. Beador brought up her fellow housemate’s troubles at the time — which was in the midst of her split from ex-husband Matt Kirschenheiter — recently this season, damaging the women’s relationship on and off screen.
Despite that tension, Kirschenheiter said on Wednesday’s podcast, “But honestly, at the end of the day … I just don’t have it in me. I’m not going to kick someone when they’re sad, and I was sad. I know where he is right now. It’s not a good place to be – mentally, emotionally.”
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Kirschenheiter said her “first instinct” after hearing the news of Beadora’s arrest on bail was, “Oh my God, thank God she didn’t seriously hurt herself or hurt anyone else.”
“That’s obviously the worst mistake you can make,” she said. “I believe in it with all my heart, because I made that mistake myself. So I’m glad everyone is okay. But like — it’s bullshit. Heavy. I feel bad. I feel sorry for her.”
She continued: “I’m not going to lie to everybody and say I didn’t wake up and say, ‘Oh… this is like karma. … I got angry about a lot of things for a minute, and I really now have a proper sympathy for the situation and for her. I don’t want to see anyone down there. I never did. I just didn’t want to be humiliated, you know?”
Gina Kirschenheiter Reveals Why She Stopped Drinking Alcohol: ‘I Controlled Myself’ (Exclusive)
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The reality star went on to discuss the changes she’s gone through since her own DUI arrest, saying she took “full responsibility” for what happened and “of course corrected” that bad decision to the point where she hasn’t had a drink in two years.
She also admitted that Beador “helped initially” by giving her the contact information of a criminal defense attorney friend of hers, who had a warrant for her arrest revoked after she failed to appear in court for a hearing related to her DUI arrest -And.
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“But since then, she used that help that she gave me as a weapon, and I wanted that weapon to stop,” Kirschenheiter said. “So for me it would be extremely hypocritical for this to happen to her now and to immediately hit her over the head with it and arm myself and I wouldn’t do that. It’s not in my nature.”
“When I [got the DUI], I was on the show for a year. He’s been on the show for a very long time. She is very famous. And she fucked me for that very reason,” she continued. “This is the worst thing that could have happened to her at this moment and I feel sorry for her. It was her choice, she put herself there, she definitely made this bed. But I believe she should have the opportunity to right this wrong.”
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And just as Beador has already helped her, Kirschenheiter said she’s ready to return the favor and help her turn things around.
“We have to accept and allow people to make mistakes, mess up and recover, and support them to get through it. I don’t know if Shannon goes for it or not, it’s up to her,” she said. “But I know I’ll support her and I’ll be there to help her as much as I can to try and help her come back.”
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The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Wednesdays at 8:00 PM ET on Bravo.
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Source: HIS Education