The Real Housewives of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson is keeping it real about her past relationships that played out on reality TV.
“When I love, I love hard, and I trust,” Vicki, 64, exclusively told Us Weekly at the RHOC Season 20 premiere party on Tuesday, June 30. “Now people say trust and verify. I don’t want to be a detective in a relationship. You tell me something, I’m gonna believe that. And obviously we know what happened with that.”
During season 10 of Bravo’s hit reality show, Vicki’s relationship with then-boyfriend Brooks Ayers was put under the microscope when the cast heavily questioned his stage III cancer diagnosis.
After continued scrutiny, Brooks, 58, ultimately admitted to fabricating documents to “prove” to the world that he had cancer.
“What I did was wrong and inexcusable,” he shared with E! News in November 2015. “I acted alone, without Vicki’s knowledge, to produce documents for a reality TV show in hopes of putting doubts about my cancer to rest. … From this day forward, my own personal journey with this disease will remain private as I initially intended over a year ago.”
More than 10 years after the story line captivated RHOC fans, Vicki told Us that she still has questions about her ex’s actions.
“I believed him, and who knows what the real story is because I never got to talk to him,” she said from the NBCUniversal Lot in Los Angeles. “He left me in the middle of the night, and that was it.”
Vicki continued, “I never got closure on that guy, never. And then he got married real quick. … When you give your life to somebody and financially give money to those people, and then all of a sudden they lie to you. It’s hard.”
Brooks tied the knot with Christy Groves in 2018, exchanging vows in a ceremony held in Indiana.
The OG of the OC is happy to tell fans that she’s “all good” and found a good man named Michael Smith. In season 20, fans will be able to catch a glimpse into their special relationship.
“As I get older, it’s not just about the love tank. It’s about having peace and having quality relationships,” she explained. “Back in my 40s and 50s, it was my love tank. Now it’s like, I love him. I want the best for him. I want him to never be embarrassed by me. He’s a developer. He’s very private, but this is my gig. Just respect it and he does.”
Along with her romantic relationship, Vicki is also hoping to bring the Tres Amigas back together. After years of ups and downs with costars Shannon Beador and Tamra Judge, the host of “My Friend, My Soulmate, My Podcast” just wants to whoop it up with her friends.
“My job was to come in and bring peace, and I think I accomplished that,” she teased. “Wait and see.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 20 premieres Thursday, July 9, at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo. Episodes will stream the next day on Peacock.
