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Last season, Gretchen Rossi, 31, made a considerable impression on viewers when she joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County, and exposed some of the most poignant and personal details of her life. Gretchen is back for season five, but this time around her sparkling personality and dazzling smile are more subdued as she attempts to pick up the pieces following a tumultuous year. Her fiancé, Jeff, lost his battle with Leukemia, and Gretchen has been fielding compromising rumors that questioned her very loyalty to him during his final months.

Gretchen grew up in La Cresenta, Calif. and attended Baylor University in Dallas, Texas, where she studied psychiatry. Following college, Gretchen went into the then-booming real estate industry, but quit working to take care of Jeff full-time.

A blond bombshell and the quintessential Orange County girl, Gretchen's outward beauty has always been obvious. These days she wants to prove that her beauty is not just skin deep, and admits she has made some mistakes this past year and regrets some of her decisions.

Her relationship with the other Housewives continues to have its highs and lows, and viewers will see her ongoing feud with Tamra Barney coming to a palpable head.

Gretchen also goes back to Detroit to visit Jeff's kids and his grave site. His kids are very grateful towards Gretchen for the time she spent taking care of their dad and fully support her moving on with her life. She is indeed starting to venture out on her own in many ways, developing a makeup line and also contributing her time towards charity work for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society.

But to everyone's surprise, Gretchen develops a relationship with longtime friend, Slade Smiley, who appeared on the first two seasons of The Real Housewives of Orange County as Jo De La Rosa's then fiancé. Is this a rebound or is it something more?

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