Emily Simpson Says Husband 'Learned a Lot' Watching Their Marital Problems Play Out on RHOC
For Shane Simpson, The Real Housewives of Orange County has been an eye-opening experience.
During a visit to PEOPLE TV’s Reality Check on Tuesday, Orange County Housewife Emily Simpson revealed that her husband of 11 years has made adjustments in their marriage after seeing their relationship struggles play out on the hit Bravo show.
“When you have the opportunity to watch yourself, sometimes the self-awareness that you get is just an entirely different perspective,” Emily, 43, said.
“[Shane] really saw and heard everything everybody was saying and really took it to heart,” she added. “He watched with the intent from learning from it, and he learned a lot from it.”
It could be that — or as Emily joked, it might be a result of “maybe just the millions of people tweeting, ‘Shane shouldn’t be such a jerk.'”
Either way, Emily assured “there’s been a change” in Shane since RHOC season 14 began airing in August.
“Shane’s been amazing,” she said. “Things are probably the best they’ve ever been in the 11 years we’ve been married.”
“I think he probably had a moment of self-realization where he thought, ‘Emily is a really good wife and really good mom. I won the wife lottery. I need to step up my game.’ And he really has,” she said. “I have to give him credit for that.”
Emily and Shane share three kids together — daughter Annabelle, 6, and twin sons Luke and Keller, 4 — as well as two children from Shane’s previous marriage.
RHOC viewers have seen the couple butt heads a lot this season, with Emily criticizing Shane for the sarcastic jokes he often makes at her expense.
Things particularly got strained as Shane prepped for the California state bar exam.
At one point, it was revealed that he had temporarily moved into a hotel to help him focus on the test. After he completed the exam and returned home, Emily attempted to discuss her feelings with Shane — which didn’t go well.
“I feel very upset and resentful towards you,” she said on the show, suggesting the couple attend counseling. “And I know you feel upset and resentful towards me.”
Asked about their battles on Reality Check, Emily admitted they were all “real.’
“We definitely started filming at a time when Shane and I were on a downward spiral. Not seeing eye-to-eye, not getting along very well. So what you see is pretty real,” Emily said. “It’s rough, it’s rough.”
“It is hard,” she added. “There’s obviously another side of Shane other than the small little glimpse you get on the show. He’s multi-dimensional. There’s another side to him as well. But what you see is also real too. I’m not going to say that’s not him. He can be that way.”
Does he resent Emily, seeing how she passed it the first time?
“He’s never said that out loud but there’s probably a little bit of that feeling … especially when you’re the man and you’re supposed to be the bread winner,” Emily said. “And he is, by the way. I know a lot of people are like, ‘Emily’s the bread winner in the family.’ No, I’m not. I work and I make money, but I don’t make enough money to afford the lifestyle that we have. It’s obviously Shane.”
As for the bar exam, Emily said that Shane took it for a fourth time in July and will know his results in November.
That’s something Emily respects.
“You have to give Shane credit for having perseverance,” Emily said. “I know a lot of people make fun and say he’s trying to take it this many times and he should just give up, but what about commending him for having perseverance and trying to do it?”
“And he’s doing it in front of millions of people!” Emily continued. “I took the bar exam in 2005 and just told my family! He’s doing it with the entire world watching him, judging him, commenting on him. I give him props for taking it all in stride and taking it very well.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Tuesday (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
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