'RHONY' star Brynn Whitfield gets candid about overcoming a dark chapter in her life
Disclaimer: This article discusses sensitive topics and can be triggering to some. Reader discretion is advised.
During the tenth episode of 'The Real Housewives of New York City' Season 15 titled 'Strictly Ballroom Affair', Brynn Whitfield revealed that she suffered a sexual assault in the past. Brynn broke down in tears while recalling the traumatic incident that affected her life. "Are you willing to describe your emotional state after it happened?" the Bravo producers asked to which Brynn replied, "I just felt dumb and embarrassed and blamed myself. It was like none of this was happening to me."
While having a conversation with her brother Daris, Brynn said, "You can't pick up the phone and tell your 87-year-old grandma that you are sexually assaulted. Like you just, can't be like, Oh hey that's why I'm not returning your calls, Mimi, like I don't even know, she's older I don't know how to explain something like that to her you know." She added, "I think I have finally learned like the worst way like regardless of what you are going through you have to tell people cause you never know how much time anybody has left. In my mind I didn't lose her 3 years ago, I lost her 4 years ago."
'RHONY' star Brynn Whitfield shares her sexual assault incident 'robbed her of wanting to get married'
Brynn Whitfield, one of the housewives featured on 'The Real Housewives of New York City' had a very close bond with her grandmother Darlene. However, she decided to hide her sexual assault story from her grandmother. For the unversed, Brynn and her two siblings were brought up by their grandmother Darlene.
"I didn't tell Mimi. She just thought I was really busy. So I feel like that experience like robbed me a lot. It robbed me of wanting to get married. It robbed me of maybe I won't have children but the worst it robbed me of like the last year with her," an emotional Brynn shared in a private confessional.
'RHONY' star Brynn Whitfield became 'asexual for months' after sexual assault
In an interview with People magazine, Brynn Whitfield disclosed that she was sexually assaulted at the age of 34 by a man who was "courting her." She said, "It wasn't in my brain that that happened to 30-year-old woman living in Manhattan ... that fear wasn't my fear anymore."
After the disturbing incident, Brynn became "asexual for months" and felt numb. “You just go home, and you just shower, and you just want to pretend like it didn’t happen. I think my water bill probably that month was like $10,000 … and just there’s not enough soap in the world [to get clean]… You try not to put chlorine in your luxurious bathtub," she further added.
The Bravo housewife later started therapy to kickstart the healing process. By sharing her story, she wants to tell others who have through similar experiences that they are not alone. "If I can help one person feel something, feel how I felt, if I can help one person feel better, then I'll tattoo it on me. Then it's worth it, a billion percent," she continued.
'RHONY' Season 15 airs Tuesdays at 9 pm ET only on Bravo.
