Tamra Judge says stress of making RHOC caused mental breakdown
Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge has revealed that her skin started 'falling off' and her weight dropped to a mere 108lb due to the stress of filming the popular reality series.
The 57-year-old spoke about how starring in the TV show impacted her mental and physical health during a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live.
The TV personality joined the series in season three and was one of the main cast members for 12 seasons until she left in 2020, but she eventually returned during season 17 and has been starring in it ever since.
Hardship: Tamra Judge has revealed that her skin started 'falling off' due to the stress of filming The Real Housewives of Orange County series
But during the most recent season, which premiered in July, Tamra was seen sensationally walking off set in the middle of filming, and even posted a message to social media that hinted she was quitting the show before returning a week later.
Now, she has opened up about what led to the dramatic moment, admitting that she suffered from an emotional breakdown that left her skin 'falling off.'
She explained that she became 'overwhelmed' while balancing making the show, running her podcast Two T's in a Pod with costar Teddi Mellencamp, and her other business ventures.
And when her costar Teddi got diagnosed with stage four cancer, Tamra said it all became too much for her.
During the most recent season, which premiered in July, Tamra was seen sensationally walking off set in the middle of filming
Meltdown: During the most recent season, Tamra walked off set in the middle of filming
She told Jeff during this week's interview: 'It was a lot. I was like literally having a mental breakdown.
'I wasn’t eating. I wasn’t sleeping by the end of the season. I ended up weighing 108lb. My skin was just literally falling off of me. And I was just so sad. I was sad.'
Tamra continued: 'When somebody close to you is diagnosed with what Teddi was diagnosed with, the unknown is horrible.
'That just really put a nail through my heart, and I was just so devastated, and on top of everything else, it was difficult.'
Tamra said she ended up speaking with the show's psychiatrist, who diagnosed her with 'severe depression' and 'self-worth problems.'
She confessed: 'I wasn’t eating. I wasn’t sleeping by the end of the season. I ended up weighing 108lb'
She added: 'I got to a point where I was overworked, I was depressed,' she added.
Rumors erupted earlier this year that Tamra was quitting RHOC after she was seen walking off set in the middle of episode six of season 19.
At the time, she fueled the speculation when she posted an ambiguous message to her Instagram Stories, which read, 'It was a long run! When life gives you real problems, this reality s**t doesn't make sense. Peace out! I'm out!'
She ultimately only took a week off before returning to the show.
Tamra also said of the ordeal during an appearance on After Show recently: 'It was legit my breaking point.
Friends: Tamra said when her co-star Teddi Mellencamp was diagnosed with cancer she suffered an emotional breakdown
'I was not obviously in my right mind at all. I didn’t feel wanted. I just went, "I can’t f***ing do this anymore." And I just kind of lost it.
'It was all so, so new with Teddi. It only had been a few weeks. At that moment, it was really bad. Probably the lowest I’ve ever been in my life.'
Teddi was initially diagnosed with melanoma but revealed in February that it had spread and that doctors had found tumors in her brain.
She underwent surgery to remove them, but in March, more tumors were discovered in her brain and lungs.
However, in a video shared to social media in June, Teddi revealed her tumors have significantly shrunk, and that doctors believe she is a few weeks away from being cancer-free.
