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The Daily Dish The Real Housewives of Orange County

Lydia McLaughlin: You Can Have Family and Fame

The former 'RHOC' star shares how the importance of family influenced her decision to leave the show.

By Sarv Kreindler

Former Real Housewives of Orange County star Lydia McLaughlin only spent one season on the show before deciding to walk away from the hit series, something she addresses in her new book Beyond Orange County. The mom of three also recently opened up to Fox News about what led to her decision, which she ultimately chalks up to Vicki Gunvalson and daughter Briana's argument during the RHOC reunion.

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"Just seeing Briana and Vicki—because I am so close with my mom so I obviously really related to a mother/daughter on TV as entertainment—but it’s still a real relationship, and they got into a big battle in the middle of the reunion, and they were just fighting," she reveals. "I remember thinking, 'Why am I here? I don’t have to be here right now.' So I felt inside the Lord telling me to get up and leave."

Though Lydia herself ultimately chose her family over fame, she does think it's possible to have both. "I think right now I have that. I definitely get recognized so I’m famous, and I love my family," she states. "There is a balance with that. The more famous that you get, the harder that can become. For me, I did have to choose at a certain point and who knows. Maybe in two years, I’ll be a housewife again. Who knows? But right now, it’s just not for me."

[Source: Fox News]

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