'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Taylor Armstrong in 'Couples Therapy' Talks Russell Armstrong Suicide Still Haunting Her, PTSD & More [EXCLUSIVE]
Taylor Armstrong and her fiance star in season 4 of VH1's Couples Therapy and in the show, the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star opens up about still being haunted by her ex-husband and the abuse in their relationship.
Armstrong's former husband, Russell Armstrong, committed suicide in August 2011 at the age of 47. Together they had a daughter named Kennedy. Taylor has since moved on and got engaged to attorney John Bluher in August 2013. The couple came on the VH1 show only a few months after getting engaged.
Dr. Jenn Berman will continue her therapy duties on Couples Therapy.
In a sneek peek clip that Enstars exclusively obtained for the upcoming season, which premieres Jan. 2, Taylor talks to costar Farrah Abraham about the physical abuse she suffered from her late husband. Russell punched her in the eye, which forced her to have reconstructive surgery, when he believed she was having an affair.
Taylor told the cameras "I'm always afraid that something's gonna end up happening that used to happen in my former relationship." Speaking about the time she was married to Russell, she said the following:
"I had the house, and the husband, and Beverly Hills and was just trying to convince everyone that my life was perfect -- but it was a facade. I was in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship for about six years."
The premiere episode of Couples Therapy also reveals the audio of the 9-1-1 call in which Taylor's friend reported Russell's death as Taylor cries in the background.
"After [Russell's] death I was lost. And it took about a year of me just being alone to really figure out who I was," Taylor later said to the cameras.
Many tears are shed and Taylor at times has difficulty opening up in the therapy sessions where her costars join her, including ihe Real L Word stars Sada Bettencourt and Whitney Mixter.
"I'm not sure if the emotional abuse or the physical abuse was the most painful," the single mother admitted to Dr. Berman.
Bluher is shown at fault for problems in the couple's relationship.
"Stop pushing her away. If you push and push and push, someday she's not gonna come back," Dr. Berman told him.
Bluher admitted "there were some problems from her previous relationship that crept into our everyday lives," and Taylor added, "I'd say the biggest problem is my post-traumatic stress."
"John and I need therapy right now," she added. "I'm not gonna start planning our wedding until our issues are resolved."
VH1’s Couples Therapy is back on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. This season’s cast includes Jon Gosselin (Jon & Kate + Eight) and Liz Janetta; rapper Ghostface Killah and Kelsey Nykole; Whitney Mixter (The Real L Word) and Sada Bettencourt (The Real L Word); and Farrah Abraham (16 & Pregnant, Teen Mom).
