Andy DehnartTaylor Armstrong has discussed the role of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in her husband Russell’s suicide, and also talked about his abusive behavior.
Appearing on Dr. Phil yesterday, Taylor was asked if the show contributed to Russell’s death, and she said, “I can’t say what he was thinking at the time [of his death], but what I can say is that I believe that if it weren’t for the cameras, there’s a chance I wouldn’t be sitting here with you today.” The full interview is on Dr. Phil’s site, and in it, she also discusses his abuse, saying, “One of my friends, who’s a reporter said, I didn’t want to be standing outside your house having to report a murder suicide.”
When Dr. Phil asked if the “exposure saved your life but backed him into a corner,” Taylor said, “anything’s possible.” In that segment, she also said that his financial problems were “the biggest motivating factor.”
Earlier, Taylor detailed her abuse to Entertainment Tonight, including showing photos and revealing what exactly his physical and mental abuse entailed.
For example, she said, “The first time he ever really harmed me physically, I was pregnant with Kennedy and he grabbed me by the throat and held me up against the wall … [and] said, ‘If you ever make my children a pizza without a vegetable again, I’ll kill you.'”