Angie Katsanevas is prioritizing her daughter while caring for herself amid her split from husband Shawn Trujillo.
“I think for a long time I was quiet about things that I was going through, so I could show up for other people,” Angie, 52, exclusively tells Us while promoting season 7 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. “And I’ve gotten to the point where I’m being more open about what’s going on, and sometimes that can make it — it can be harder because I’m trying to show up for my daughter right now.”
Angie, who shares daughter Elektra, 15, with estranged husband Shawn, explains that her determination to show up “as a mom and just trying to be solely present for Elektra, it does make it harder to take phone calls and show up for others.”
The Lunatic Fringe Salon founder confesses, “I’m kind of really just, like, in self-preservation mode right now.”
Angie admits, “I want to be a great friend to everyone. But my No. 1 priority is my daughter making sure that she knows I’m there.”
She notes that since news broke in July about her and Shawn’s split, Angie and Elektra have been by each other’s side “the entire summer.”
“We spent every day together from, you know, waking up at 4:30 to go to lessons for her horse — she’s an equestrian, as you know — and then we go to Pilates and we go swimming, we do activities,” Angie recalls. “So I filled my entire summer when we wrapped [RHOSLC] with spending every waking minute with my daughter.”
Angie calls motherhood the “most important role in my life,” adding that she’s OK with her friendships taking a back seat during this season of life if her daughter is feeling supported.
“You don’t have as much time to sit on the phone or spend time with friends. But this is very important to me right now with what’s going on in my life,” Angie says. “Is just showing up for her, letting her know that I’m here and to feel safe and that my mom’s by my side.”
News broke over the summer that Angie and Shawn had separated just weeks after their 27th wedding anniversary.
Ahead of their breakup, Angie and Shawn’s relationship faced intense scrutiny on RHOSLC. Shawn was even the target of rumors about his sexuality on multiple seasons.
“What happened when I came on [the show] was just a lot of lies and rumors about my business and marriage. What I am talking about right now is real and it’s the truth,” Angie tells Us, confirming fans will see her and Shawn’s ups and downs this season. “So I feel more confident in sharing that.”
She adds that season 7 will shine a light on her story from her own perspective.
“It’s never easy being open not only on the show, but we rewatch it when it airs, but it’s my story [and] it’s coming from me,” Angie explains. “And I’m telling it versus people making up rumors or telling stories of untruths so I think that’s the difference and that’s why it feels safer.”
The Housewife teases that the cameras captured “the emotions” that she and Shawn experienced when telling their daughter about their split, revealing that they are still a “very close family.”
In fact, Angie tells Us that the estranged spouses “did all the same things” with Elektra that they’d done in summers past to keep her world as recognizable as possible.
“We had our trips, we had our routines, our back-to-school sushi lunches,” she says. “And I think the most important thing for me was, yes, I am in self-preservation mode, but she is my No. 1 priority.”
Season 7 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City premieres on Bravo Wednesday, September 16, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
