The Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge got emotional while revealing a discovery she made in therapy.
“I just did my first therapy session,” Tamra, 57, revealed during the Tuesday, October 15, episode of the “Two Ts in a Pod” podcast. “Let’s just say I found out something pretty big about myself that I didn’t know.”
Podcast cohost Teddi Mellencamp replied, “You can’t bury the lead. Now I need to know. Like, what?”
Holding back tears, Tamra replied that she is “on the spectrum.” (Her statement is seemingly a reference to autism spectrum disorder, a neurological disorder affecting interaction and communication with others, per the National Institute of Mental Health.)
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“Don’t make me cry,” she told Teddi, 43. “We’re trying to work through that. I have a really hard time processing stuff. I have a lot of sensory issues — sound, light, touch — but she says that is not my biggest problem. My biggest problem is working through trauma that I had in my life.”
Tamra did not go into detail about her past trauma during the podcast episode.
“I think it means a lot that you are taking those steps,” Teddi told her cohost.
Tamra went on to explain that she thought things were “black and white,” explaining that she “transpired” what she went through growing up on to her adult life.
“After talking and going through everything, my emotions, I have a hard time with empathy and feeling other people’s feelings,” she continued. “There’s a reason why.”
Teddi assured Tamra that it’s “huge” she has this information about herself. “Now, you’re aware and it’s not a bad thing. You can continue using this to elevate yourself in such a positive way,” Teddi said.
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Tamra said that telling Teddi as they recorded the podcast was the first time she shared the diagnosis. Up to that point, she hadn’t even told husband Eddie Judge because she had just gotten out of her therapy session.
“There’s gonna have to be a lot of huge changes moving forward,” Tamra said, noting that she discussed her social anxiety with her therapist. “It’s because the anxiety that I have when I talk to people and how I make it through the show is drinking. … All this suppressed s— that’s going on within me comes out when I drink because my guard is down.”
Tamra concluded saying she learned so much about herself. She also explained to listeners that sharing the “reason why” would bring in another person — which she didn’t want to do.
“I see things very black and white and when somebody’s wrong, I need to expose them,” she said. Teddi added, “Sometimes what you see isn’t always what you get. We’re all doing the best that we can.”