Totally committed. Chrishell Stause almost left Selling Sunset behind after ex-husband Justin Hartley filed for divorce in 2019.
The Netflix star, 40, opened up about what it was like to capture the shocking moment on camera during a recent episode of the “Lipstick on the Rim” podcast. “That was obviously very humiliating and the fact that I still had to film a reality show, it was either that or quit,” the former soap opera actress recalled. “But all of a sudden, I just lost everything, and I didn’t want to lose the one thing that I worked really hard to have, which was my job and a new career, and so I pushed through.”
Us Weekly confirmed in November 2019 that Hartley, 45, filed to end the duo’s marriage two years after tying the knot. In the paperwork, he claimed that the pair had been separated since July 2019. However, when cameras were rolling on season 3 of Selling Sunset, the Kentucky native said she was blindsided by the split.
“I can understand, like, God forbid, your feelings obviously changed for me at some point — I just feel like that’s how you would treat the garbage that you’d throw out,” she said during a season 3 episode about how the divorce went down.
Stause also alleged that she wasn’t told ahead of time about the This Is Us star’s plans to file, telling cameras that she heard the news as it made headlines. Us exclusively confirmed in January 2021 that the former couple settled the terms of their divorce. Hartley went on to marry Sofia Pernas, while the Dancing With the Stars alum dated Keo Motsepe and boss Jason Oppenheim post-split.
Choosing to share her story with the world wasn’t easy, but the Under Construction author is proud of the decision. “That show coming out [and] people then connecting with me in the middle of [the coronavirus] pandemic and sharing their stories with me has completely changed my mindset of being open about things versus not,” she explained on the podcast. “I think transparency is so much better than trying to pretend your life is perfect.”
Earlier this month, the All My Children alum told Kelly Clarkson that she sold her wedding ring after finalizing her divorce. “When sometimes life gives you lemons, sometimes you’ve gotta add a little vodka,” she said on The Kelly Clarkson Show, adding that she wanted to “make the best out of a situation.”
Though she’s put her drama with Hartley in the past, his presence was still felt on season 5 of Selling Sunset, which premiered last week. While speaking with her family, Stause’s sisters seemingly implied that her ex wasn’t The One for her.
“I feel like with your last relationship, there was some criticism. A lot of what you did, I don’t think that he took you seriously,” Shonda Davidson (née Stause) told her sibling without naming the man in question. “A lot of your jobs, he acted like they were not real jobs. And this was your life. This was your job. You worked so hard for it.”
The reality star got emotional during the conversation, telling her sisters that she’s tried to move on. “I don’t even, like, think about this anymore. But the second that you, like, my memory hits of what you’re talking about, I’m like, ‘Who was I?'” she said. “I don’t even know who that was. … I’m so much more grown than I was and I’m a fully realized person at this point. Not a version of what I think somebody wants me to be.”
All five seasons of Selling Sunset are available to stream on Netflix.
