Heavy/Getty/Bravo/YouTube Shannon Beador, Emily Simpson, Heather Dubrow, Gina Kirschenheiter, Tamra Judge, Alexis Bellino
“The Real Housewives of Orange County” star Alexis Bellino knew that there would be some tension between her and longtime Housewife Shannon Beador if she decided to return for season 18 as a Friend of the Housewives.
Bellino, who is dating Beador’s recent ex John Janssen, opened up about her hesitation to return to the show alongside Beador in a June 2024 interview with E! News. “I was very nervous,” Bellino told the outlet. “I contemplated not even going back because I knew what I was throwing myself into. But also I thought to myself, ‘Why am I not going to do something I want to do just because I’m dating somebody else’s ex-boyfriend?'”
Alexis Bellino Thinks Fans Will Understand Her Relationship Better After RHOC Season 18
Bellino went on to tell E! News that despite her fear of filming with Beador, she did not have a standing friendship with the orange-holder, as the two were never castmates together, as Bellino stopped filming at the end of season 8, with Beador joining the cast in season 9. “I didn’t know Shannon so I did not break girl code,” Bellino said. “I didn’t owe anyone anything and I wasn’t doing anything to rub anything in anyone’s face. It was literally timing and that’s why it’s reality TV, because you cannot write this script.”
Despite a rocky relationship with Beador, Bellino was otherwise excited to be back filming, and get a chance to show fans where she is in her life now, and also show them how she feels in her relationship with Janssen. “I’m excited for everyone to honestly understand that it is organic,” Bellino shared. “We’ve had backlash consistently since the time we met. People think we’re doing this as a facade and it’s like no, this is reality and we are in love. Our kids are a group now, our dogs are acclimated, so we’re moving forward.”
Bellino and Janssen’s relationship started off strong, as Janssen gave Bellino a promise ring for Christmas 2023, months into their relationship. By March 2024, Bellino shared she planned to marry Janssen, and in June 2024 she shared that a plan is in place for their engagement, though the exact timeline remains unclear.
“We have looked at engagement rings. We are talking about the future for sure,” Bellino admitted to E! News. “We’re amazing. It gets better every day. We both are kind of like ‘pinch me’ in the fact that we truly found like a best friend and someone that we want to ride the rest of this life out with together. It’s pretty amazing.”
Alexis Bellino Shares Message of Gratitude for Filming RHOC
As she prepares for her RHOC return when the premiere episode airs on June 11 at 9 p.m., Bellino looked back on her four prior seasons on the show, sharing an old clip of a scene between herself and her late mother, Penelope, in a July 3 post.
“8 days until #RHOC @bravotv premier on July 11th!!!!!! Man, I miss her so much. I’m blessed to have time documented with her before I lost her. 💗 ♥️ 🙏,” Bellino captioned the post, which included a scene of her talking about Botox in a confessional while out at lunch with her mother.
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RHOC Star Was ‘Nervous’ to Film Show Alongside Shannon Beador