The Bravo star admits to her “horrible choice,” saying she has “lifelong” work to do, but also calls out ex-BFF Tamra Judge for saying she was there for her when she wasn’t.
The Real Housewives of Orange County star Shannon Beador is opening up about her relationship with alcohol following her DUI arrest last year — and why she’s so upset with former BFF Tamra Judge.
While appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen following the Season 18 premiere of RHOC on Thursday night, the reality star revealed that she still consumes alcohol, but said she keeps herself “accountable” regarding her drinking.
“I admit this quite often this season. I was using alcohol — and I have in my life multiple times — as a coping mechanism, so now I use breathing and walking outside and cold packs and different coping mechanisms,” Beador, 60, said.
“Right now, I can have a couple of drinks, and I’m accountable to me,” she continued. “So if I find that alcohol becomes an issue for me then I’ll address it. But for now, I’m good.”
When Andy Cohen asked if she’s required to use a breathalyzer when she gets in her car, Beador said, “You have to blow and hum together. It took a while to get the blow and hum down but I’ve got it now.”
In September 2023, Beador was arrested for driving under the influence and a hit-and-run after driving her car onto a residential property in Newport Beach, where it clipped a house, following a fight with her ex-boyfriend John Janssen. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that Beador then allegedly turned back onto the road and kept going, before parking her vehicle in the middle of the street and getting out with her dog.
Per the outlet, Beador reportedly tried to act like she was taking a walk when police arrived after receiving a 911 call. She was arrested shortly after, and booked for two misdemeanors — hit-and-run and DUI alcohol.
Beador was sentenced to 3 years of probation, according to TMZ, and was ordered to serve 40 hours of community service and a 9-month alcohol program.
During her appearance on Watch What Happens Live, the Bravo star said she had completed her community service by working at her church’s thrift store.
“There is not a day that goes by where I don’t think about what happened and how grateful I am that no one got hurt,” she shared.
Meanwhile, in an interview with E! News ahead of the RHOC Season 18 premiere, Beador opened up about her falling out with her former BFF, Tamra Judge, and called out her costar for not supporting her after her arrest.
“She has no right,” she told the outlet “She has had no part of anything that I have done since my DUI. None. In fact, she left town the day after my DUI. I hear that she’s saying, ‘I was there for her and I did this.’ No you weren’t.”
“Who made you the judge and jury of what I should and shouldn’t be doing in my life?” Beador added. “Focus on yours, because I’m focusing on mine.”
While speaking with Us Weekly, Beador shared how she’s continuing to work on herself since her DUI, noting that the process will be “lifelong.”
“I’ve done a lot and I still have more to do. I work with my therapist, and I have a psychiatrist from the program that I went to for 30 days,” she explained. “And I feel as though I’m growing. I’m headed down a healthier path, and I’m trying to create any type of positive thing that I can out of a horrible situation.”
Beador admitted that she doesn’t “want to take what happened to me lightly at all,” adding that she’s “incredibly grateful” no one was injured.
“I made a horrible choice very late in my life, and I considered myself a better example than that. So I’ve got to make changes, and it has forced me to look at my life,” she told Us Weekly. “And as I look at it right now, I have a lot of work to do. It’s probably lifelong, but I feel good about myself and I don’t want to be in a relationship, which is crazy. Because that’s me. If I’m not in a relationship, that’s my purpose, and I have zero desire to — I want to have a relationship with myself.”