Sutton Stracke isn’t convinced that her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills costar Erika Jayne’s weight loss transformation is because of menopause.
“I’ve been through the menopause, but I still don’t look like that, but OK,” Sutton, 51, quipped while exclusively talking to Us Weekly about her boutique’s new Circular Fashion House.
Erika claimed during the August 1 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen that she lost weight “hormonally.”
After Andy Cohen teased, “Not Ozempic-ally?” — referring to the controversial drug that many Housewives have used to drop pounds — Erika, 52, insisted that “going through menopause” was the reason for her new look.
While Sutton threw subtle shade at Erika over her menopause claim, the designer told Us that she is impressed by Erika’s slimmer physique. “Well, good lord. … I need to do whatever she’s doing,” Sutton confessed.
Sutton further explained to Us that her relationship with Erika has also undergone a transformation, which fans will see on season 13 of RHOBH.
“I think Erika and I have always had this very strange bond … that we can’t explain,” Sutton said. “It’s kind of a love-hate relationship. Because at the end of the day, I like her. We fight, but then I like her.”
She teased: “This season, we didn’t really fight that much. It’s funny. [Well], we did fight, but then we didn’t.”
Sutton noted that season 13 shows a “softer side of Erika” after all her personal ups and downs. “I think that things have calmed down in her life,” Sutton revealed to Us. “It’s nice to see this person. She’s more like the person that I first met.”
Erika made headlines in November 2020 after she filed for divorce from Tom Girardi. One month later, the pair — who were married 21 years — were accused of embezzling funds meant for families of plane crash victims.
Erika was later dismissed from that lawsuit but she and Tom, 84, were named in several subsequent legal filings. Tom, who was placed under conservatorship in 2021 amid his battle with Alzheimer’s, was indicted in February for allegedly embezzling more than $15 million from his clients alongside his colleague Christopher Kazuo Kamon. He was charged with five counts of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Erika has not been charged with any crimes and has since tried to move on with her life. “My therapist, my psychiatrist, my friends and my family really helped me through,” she exclusively told Us in April. “It’s important to have those people around you that really look out for you. Because it was very ugly, very dark for a while.”
The “Painkillr” singer added: “That was so heavy and so dark and I don’t ever wanna go back there, but I think in life it is what you make it, so definitely I’ve shifted and I’ve become stronger because of that.”
While Erika has been reviving her career — she kicks off her Las Vegas residency, Bet It All on Blonde, later this month — Sutton has also been upping her professional game. Sutton recently launched her SUTTON Circular Fashion House and has started selling more sustainable fashion at her SUTTON boutique.
“My business partner and I have created a new business called SUTTON Brands, and it’s a circular fashion house. We have two lines under it now. One is mine, it’s a green line. And the other one, Cynthia Bailey just joined us [for],” Sutton explained to Us. “We have designed a label for her and she’s going to launch in September and we’re so excited to have her be a part of it.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
