The Real Housewives of Orange County’s Emily Simpson is confident her marriage to Shane Simpson is far from over.
“I annoy him and he annoys me, and I think he and I both are very authentic on camera,” Emily, 50, exclusively shared with Us Weekly at the RHOC season 20 premiere party on Tuesday, June 30. “We don’t try to sugarcoat anything or try to make it look like it’s perfect or try to fool the audience into thinking that we have some great, amazing marriage in every moment.”
During the season 20 trailer, some fans raised their eyebrows when some costars questioned if Emily and Shane, 51, were on the rocks.
“You seem like you’re at your end,” Tamra Judge said. Emily replied, “I don’t know, maybe.”
When the show returns on Thursday, July 9, the host of iHeartRadio’s “Legally Brunette” podcast hopes viewers remember that not every relationship is perfect.
“I want fans to keep in mind that we’ve been together for 17 years, that it is a real marriage with ups and downs,” Emily told Us from the NBCUniversal Lot in Los Angeles. “I think we just are who we are, and when he’s mad at me or annoyed with me, he acts like that on camera. When he annoys me, I act like that on camera.”
She continued, “I just want the world to know that we are still together. We’ve been together. It’s going to be 18 years soon, but we’re real people with three kids and three dogs and three cats, and it’s a lot.”
Back in 2009, Emily and Shane got married on Valentine’s Day in a small ceremony at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Since then, the couple have welcomed three children, including daughter Annabelle, 13, and 11-year-old twin sons, Luke and Keller. (Shane also has two daughters from his first marriage.)
During season 20, Emily will continue to share updates on Luke’s health after he was diagnosed with a rare eating disorder called ARFID (short for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder).
“[Luke is] doing amazing. He’s at a new school. He loves it. He’s so happy,” Emily shared while wearing a Ronny Kobo dress. “I think Shane and I are better parents because of Luke. We’ve really had to learn patience. We’ve had to learn how to come together, and that’s not always easy.”
While sharing her son’s diagnosis with the world wasn’t the easiest decision, Emily said she has no regrets.
“I’m so glad I shared because I had so many moms just rally around me and send me messages about their own personal situation with their own kids and what their kids went through,” she explained. “I thank them all.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 20 premieres on Bravo Thursday, July 9, at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes will stream the next day on Peacock.
