‘RHONY’ star Brynn Whitfield reveals she was sexually assaulted
Brynn Whitfield revealed she was sexually assaulted at age 34 by someone who was “courting” her, causing her to become “asexual for months.”
The “Real Housewives of New York City” star, now 37, did not name her assailant, but People described him as a “prominent man” in the Manhattan “social scene” in a story published Tuesday.
“You just go home, and you just shower, and you just want to pretend like it didn’t happen,” she tearfully told the magazine of the aftermath. “I think my water bill probably that month was like $10,000 … and just there’s not enough soap in the world [to get clean]. … You try not to put chlorine in your luxurious bathtub.”
Whitfield said she became a “shell” of herself after not telling anyone about the assault for months and isolating herself from her loved ones.
“I was hyper-efficient at work, but I didn’t smile, I didn’t laugh, I didn’t bat an eyelash. I didn’t do anything. I blamed myself,” she recalled.
“I was like, ‘How am I 34 years old and dealing with this now?’ If you told me I had a chronic illness or something, I would’ve believed that. I just didn’t believe that it happened, and it was hard.”
The reality star began her healing process by slowly informing those closest to her about what she went through and seeking therapy.
She said that although the entire experience was painful, she feels it has opened her up in a way she never had been before.
“It wasn’t in my brain that that happened to 30-year-old woman living in Manhattan,” she said about the shock of the harrowing situation.
To this day, Whitfield still sees her attacker at parties from time to time.
“I put on a brave face, and I refuse to cause a scene. I don’t like loudness,” she shared. “I don’t like screaming or yelling because of my childhood.
“I pick up the check, and I sign. That’s what I do. That’s that.”
The Bravolebity — who recently opened up to Page Six about her fashion struggles — noted that she feels comfortable enough to verbalize her difficult past to encourage others who may be going through or have gone through something similar.
“If I can help one person feel something, feel how I felt, if I can help one person feel better, then I’ll tattoo it on me. Then it’s worth it, a billion percent,” she said.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
