After a lot of reflection and much-needed rest, life seems to be going in the right direction for Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kim Richards. The 50-year-old former child star opened up to Entertainment Tonight about her April 2015 arrest on Wednesday. During her in-depth interview, Richards confirmed she entered rehab after she was arrested on charges of trespassing, public intoxication, battery on an officer, and resisting an officer. She was officially charged with three misdemeanors on May 11: resisting arrest, public intoxication, and battery on a peace officer. As she revealed to ET, it wasn't just the arrest that pushed her to enter rehab; a lot of difficult and stressful life events helped her make the decision.
She said,
I love sobriety. I've always loved sobriety, and relapsing was very hard for me. It was not easy. I have to say, don't take this wrong, but I really wanted to go to treatment because I needed a break from what I was going through at home.
Richards explained that in addition to dealing with her ex-husband Monty Brinson's cancer battle, her "son wasn't well." Plus, she had to give away her dog and wasn't on speaking terms with her sister and RHOBH co-star Kyle Richards.
Rehab was a relief for Richards and seemed to be the perfect outlet for her to receive the exact treatment she needed. In addition to working on her sobriety (she is now over 30 days sober), rehab helped her dive deep into her past. She said,
I went in and I got to learn a whole lot about myself. I dug deep into my past, things that happened to me as a child, good and bad, teenage years, relationships with all my loved ones, where they need to be mended, where they're very powerful. I worked on me.
She also chatted with ET about how her arrest was definitely an "a-ha" moment:
Actually, my arrest was my "a-ha I get to go away now and rest and take a break from all this." I don't want anybody to take this wrong, but I truly needed a break from hospitals, family, the pressure. I needed to go away.
Her interview is definitely eye-opening and not only into her substance abuse, but to her life, in general. It's clear that Richards needed help and you can't fault her for getting the treatment she needed. Now, Richards is focusing on herself and has a plan to stay sober with help from her "wonderful" sponsor, a life coach, and "a great home group and sober friends."
So, will Richards return to RHOBH? It was previously reported that she would not return as a full-time Housewife. However, she said Bravo is interested in having her back when the series returns: "My representative did speak to them. They have asked me to come back."
As for Richards' April arrest, in May 2015 it was reported she could face up to two and half years in jail. In June 2015, she plead not guilty to the three misdemeanor charges and was slated to appear in court July 16 for a pre-trial hearing. It is unclear at this time if Richards attended the hearing.
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