The Real Housewives of Orange County are using their fifth season to really open up to us about their pasts. First Gretchen Rossi spoke out on her battle with Bulimia, and now Vicki Gunvalson is opening up about her past abusive marriage to her first husband.
Before meeting Donn Gunvalson, her husband for the past 15 years, Vicki says her first marriage was fraught with emotional and verbal abuse, nearly getting physical at one point.
In an interview with Life & Style magazine, Vicki reveals she was just 21 when she married her first husband, Michael J. Wolfsmith. By the time she was 23, she had already given birth to a son, Michael, now 23, and was pregnant with her second child, daughter Briana, now 22. According to Vicki, Michael “was an alcoholic. He abused me verbally. He had many affairs during our marriage.” She recalls one horrifying incident while she was holding her baby Michael on her lap, “he went to hit me,” Vicki says. While he didn’t end up striking her, she was consumed with fear. “I was 23 years old and pregnant for the second time,” Vicki recalls. “I was really scared.
Vicki divorced him when she was 29. Vicki explains those six years, “were filled with screaming. I had to be his mother. I’d throw cold water on him to wake him up for work. It was a very hard life.” Vicki had a revelation as she approached age 30. “It was a pivotal point in my life,” she explains. “I didn’t want to live my 30s the way I’d lived my 20s. I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t loved.”
Vicki’s ex husband denied the allegations when contacted by Life & Style magazine. “I had bouts with alcohol, but it was not a problem,” he says. He also says he never cheated on Vicki or abused her emotionally or physically.
13 Responses to “Real Housewives of O.C.’s Vicki Gunvalson: “I Survived An Abusive Marriage””
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As a former victim of domestic abuse, I find this story to be offensive. I truly believe Vicki has created this “story” to keep herself in the news & to get some sympathy. She knows most followers of RHOOC think she’s a biatch and she is getting pushed to the background now with all the newer wives. Why else would she tell a magazine this now & embarrass her children?
The housewives are using the show to get back at all of their ex’s. They should stick to what’s happening in the present. Sooner or later one of them is going to be slapped with a defamation lawsuit, now that all of the housewife shows are under the magnifying glass b/c of recent events.
I think Vicki can’t tell the truth to save her life. I don’t buy her victim story for one minute, in fact I think she is downright lying to try to get sympathy since so many people dislike her.
Playing a victim will not make people like you vicki! You are beyond pathetic!
Let me weigh in here. I was a seriously abused spouse decades ago and I know what the behavior pattern is like.
I’m sorry, but you don’t go from abused wife to being the abusive partner; it just doesn’t happen. The way you boss your family around and mistreat your husband doesn’t fit the pattern. Abused wives usually move from one abusive relationship to another, unless they undergo years and years of counseling and therapy to break the cycle.
According to this story, Vicki is 45 or 46. She divorced her first husband at age 29 and has been married to Donn since she was 30. That’s not nearly enough time to get over the first husband, the abusive lifestyle or grieve the loss of the marriage, let alone totally change and become the aggressive partner. If Donn had been the rebound partner, this marriage probably wouldn’t have lasted. Perhaps Vicki was the one cheating on her first husband with Donn? That fits the timeline better.
Not buying this BS story at all.
OMG, she’s only 45? She looks awful for her age. She’s lucky to have the husband she’s got, considering she’s no prize. I find it hard to believe with her aggressive demeanor that she would allow anyone to abuse her. She doesn’t seem to have a humble bone in her body.
OMG please make the crypt keeper go away. She is an attention whore. She will say or do anything to keep her name out there. Who the hell would buy insurance from her is beyond me
Lizzie, I totally agree with you. This is damage control to try to stop viewers from believing she is the mean girl she seems on the show. How offensive to claim you were in an abusive marriage. Here’s the thing, Vicki: Your first husband “almost” hitting you doesn’t come close to making you a victim.
As far as Gretchen Rossi goes, how about we stop calling bulimia a disease, OK? You know how you quit being bulimic? You stop sticking your finger down your throat to make yourself throw up. I’m so sick of these attention whores calling their abusive behaviors diseases. If you can make it go away by not intentionally hurting yourself, it’s not a disease! Cancer is a disease. Diabetes is a disease. Repeatedly making yourself throw up is a lack of self control and discipline. And then to call Tamra fat at Lynne’s party – what.a.fake.
Wait a minute, now I get it. You know how Vicki always likes to call people who don’t share her exact opinion as “mean”? This is an extension of her pathetic, manipulative thinking.
He probably wouldn’t take her shit and let her walk all over him therefore he was “abusive.” LOL!
This woman is truly mental and delusional. I bet if Don ever found his balls and stood up to her she would call him abusive too.
I have watched this nonsense from the beginning.
In Season I, they featured the first husband. Vicki was throwing a big party in her house to celebrate Brianna’s High School graduation. Vicki kept making a big deal about how she had paid for the tickets for him to fly to California from wherever he lives He sat in a corner of the yard, & Vicki kept making fun of the fact that he ‘just did not dress like the other men at the party were dressed’ (he was wearing jeans & a shirt).
I can’t imagine anyone abusing Vicki- she would call the police, her family, her neighbors, anyone
imo, Vicki’s business is going to tank with this latest gimmicky revelation of hers. What’s the point of making this sort of news this far into the game, err…show???
Real wealthy people in Coto avoid people who air their personal laundry in order to bring disrepute upon a long-ago former spouse.
Wannabes are the ones who seek to use publicity to ridicule someone formerly close to them or a current someone because that’s what they *think* wealthy people do.
Vicki and wannabes like her are so wrong – they don’t have a clue.
Giving out names and alleged details about her long-ago first marriage also shows she cannot keep her mouth shut – something that’s important for someone in the insurance business to be able to do.
Good grief, as much as her kids have questionable work ethics, I feel sorry for the child of the first husband. No one wants their father to be trashed in the national media.
Vicki is all about Vicki. She doesnt care how trashing her ex husband will make her own kids feel anymore than she cared how her comments about Don or Jenna would make them feel. She is in some sort of delusional state where she can say nasty things to whoever she wants and then says oh that is just mean if anyone responds. She was even in denial when bravo had a vote a couple of weeks ago. The vote was who would you rather be neighbors with? Jenna or Vicki. Vicki got 4%. Jenna got 96%
Amazing how accurate some of the negative posts are. Take it from someonw who knew Vicki and Mike thru high school, their marriage, etc. Vicki was the abusive one in their marriage. She also was seeing Don while married to Mike. Even took a trip to CA to visit Don while married to Mike. Mike would work had for her fathers business and Vicki would get the paycheck. After working a hard day in the constructin business, Mike couldn’t even take a few minutes to rest before Vicki would be screaming a him to do more laborus work around the house. She would hit him with anything in arms reach.
She would tell him his job was to do whatever necessary to give her the lifestyle she wanted. Vicki ruled the roost, and wanted to live well above what most young couples could afford.
As far as a humble beginning, she grew up in a house with 7 bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, etc. You get the picture.
It is a shame because she is very successful in her business, has two beautiful kids from Mike. A new husband that has obviously tried to make her happy and yet it isn’t enough. Maybe someday she will realize that happiness isn’t something you buy or show. It doesn’t come from this fake sympathy crap either.
If she doesn’t wake up soon she may find herself all alone.
Sure she will have enough money to live comfortably, but she will push everyone out of her life and be left with only superficial relationships.
Vickie, I am so proud of you for finally acknowledging how important Don is to you. He is the best!! You are a very strong, impressive woman and he has allowed you to be. I’m glad you realized it was time to give him more resect and let him be more a part of his life. Love you both!!!