Taking back her power! Dorit Kemsley isn’t letting the trauma surrounding her October 2021 home invasion affect her time on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
The 45-year-old reality star exclusively told Us Weekly why she wasn’t hesitant about filming back in her house for season 12 — noting that her “commitment” to the show pushed her forward.
“Had there been any other outcome, you know, where my children had woken up and seen [what happened] — God forbid — it would’ve probably been different and I wouldn’t have gone back into filming,” she told Us on Wednesday, January 12, while promoting her partnership with the interactive Amazon Glow. “They didn’t know anything. So, I decided, you know, this is what I need to do and it’s gonna help me. Rather than just stay home and wallow in this. I wanna keep life as normal as possible. I wanted to, you know, continue my commitment to the show.”
The Connecticut native, whose two children Jagger, 7, and Phoenix, 5, were asleep in the house when she was held confronted by three robbers last year, explained that it was a “normal day” for her little ones after the terrifying ordeal. Fans will see some of the aftermath from the scary day on the upcoming season of the reality show.
“I showed everything. What I was going through. I think you’ll see this season, you know, the various stages,” Dorit explained. “It’s gonna be interesting, even for me, you know, once the show airs to look back and to be reminded of that. And I think it will be therapeutic and cathartic in some way.”
The Bravo personality said there was a silver lining to the invasion — the fact that it brought her family and friends closer.
“I’ve had tremendous support, first and foremost, from my beloved husband [Paul “PK” Kemsley], who was my rock. He’s incredible,” she told Us. “I do believe that when you face these challenges, you know, it really does strengthen your marriage. He’s such a strong support system. So I’m very grateful for that.”
Dorit added that her Real Housewives costars have “all been wonderful” and “very supportive” through her healing process. “They were by my side at the very beginning and I couldn’t be more grateful for that,” she told Us. “The outpouring of love and support has truly been incredible.”
Nearly three months after facing the intruders on October 27, Dorit told Us that she’s “doing OK” and just “taking one day at a time.”
The designer is currently focusing on personal “healing,” calling the incident “very traumatic.” Looking back, Dorit is aware that she was “very fortunate to have come out there” after the attack on her home.
“The rest [of my moving forward process] is putting one foot in front of the other and taking every day as it comes,” she added on Wednesday. “And respecting myself and my feelings [and] now [embracing] the changes within yourself that happens after a traumatic experience. I think therapy has been wonderful.”
In addition to filming the new season of RHOBH, Dorit has teamed up with Amazon to promote their interactive projector and video-calling device, the Amazon Glow.
“I’m a very family-oriented person. I’ve got a very large family and most of them are out of state, unfortunately, and my kids they’re very close to their grandparents, their aunts, their uncles. So one of my new year’s resolutions was really to stay connected to extended family, even while we’re living through this pandemic,” the Beverly Beach founder told Us of the product. “I recently purchased Amazon Glow and it’s really helped me stay true to this new year’s resolution.”
Dorit noted that her kids are also on board with the interactive tool, saying, “They were teaching me the games, the pop puzzles. We [are] drawing together. They call my dad all the time. They’re showing my dad [how to play]. … You know, the kids are on in [my] house [while] my dad’s in his house and it feels like they’re all in the same room together. And the kids are just so ecstatic about it.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi