One of our guests on the show today, Monday, January 11, was the Real Housewives of Orange County start Elizabeth Lyn Vargas, who spoke to our hosts Bradford How, Sloane Glass and Ruba Wilson about her experience joining the RHOC cast and the pain of sharing her story as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse with the world.

If you plan to report on this interview I kindly ask that you include a credit: In an interview with LIT Entertainment News.

On becoming a Housewife:
I wasn’t a super fan and I’d never watched it. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, I just didn’t know what it was about. It just fell in my lap, so it was pretty cool.

On staying out of the drama in her first season:
I was very excited to join the season, to meet all the ladies. You know, ‘strong women on an international television show’ sounds amazing. And I had to get to know the rest of the ladies. I can see how throughout the season you get a little bit more, I guess bitter as you go along. Because they’re just trying to beat you up the whole time, trying to discredit you and figure out who you are, and that’s just part of the drama. So I guess by the end of the season I had to get my little girl-balls on and throw some punches! So, it was pretty fun.

On sharing her history of abuse with the world:
I joined the cast knowing I had a lot of skeletons, and I was nervous if they were to come out. I spoke to my family and said, “If they pull up the police reports, if they do all this stuff, which I know the Housewives love to do, they’re going to find out about my family turmoil, and the trauma that went on”. And I [asked] my mom, “Should I just put it out there eventually?” And it never was the right time to put it out there, just so [it was] out and I [could] just live freely. And I was really, really wanting to live freely and come out of the closet, one might say, with this issue.

How Braunwyn helped her open up about her past:
I love Arrowhead because it’s very freeing, it’s a beautiful environment, and I love nature, I love animals. So I thought, you know, this is a great time to get to know the girls more. And what ended up happening was, on that trail, it was… Braunwyn, she’s really good at prying and getting information, as you know. Well, she gets the wrong information, but she tries. Whatever. She’s really good at prying and causing drama. So I could tell she was trying to get something out of me. And I knew exactly what it was, because she’d dug into my past. And I was nervous that -- I would rather me tell my story than her. And so it was very hurtful to me, that trail, knowing, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to have to expose this right this minute’. And that panic attack -- I don’t have those. I pride myself that I’m a survivor, not a victim, and I was not ready for that. So when it happened, I didn’t know how to respond. I’d never been in that situation. But [Braunwyn] had the tools, luckily, to help me through that. So no matter what our conflict was on the show, or that we weren’t really talking and we didn’t really know each other, she had gone through some sobriety and she had those tools. So it was a blessing to have her on the trail, versus anybody else. And it’s out there and I feel… I’m still nervous, I still have that shame. But I feel that I can work through the motions. And now it’s on national television and I hope that it helps somebody, at some point. Because I know it’s helping me.

On healing and moving forward:
Bravo did find me an amazing therapist for this. So a blessing did come out of this season which was, I do have a wonderful woman helping me work through these issues. I watched that episode because I was so ashamed, I was so fearful about it getting out there. I just kept watching it going, ‘Ok, I’ve got to prepare myself for this backlash of people judging me.’ And every time I watch it I just get this horrible feeling, but it’s getting better. It is tough to watch it.

On taking a chance and overcoming fear:
The producer told me that when you become a Housewife, most of them end up loving it, even though they’re prying and they’re getting into the nitty-gritty down-and-dirty, because they find themselves and they find their truth. And I’ve always lived my truth, but to hear it from an outsider’s perspective looking in, it rings home. I learned to take a chance. And I think taking a chance is something that a lot of people are lacking because of fear. And I took that chance and I overcame that fear and I’m still overcoming that fear. But it’s working. What I did learn was to overcome fear, and you won't believe how much you can heal from it. It’s unbelievable.

On the finale:
The finale’s crazy, I’m telling you!!

If you plan to report on this interview I kindly ask that you include a credit: In an interview with LIT Entertainment News.

LIT is a multi-platform entertainment network for the social media generation. We air live each weekday at 12pm ET / 9am PT. You can find us on Peacock, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.