Dr. Nicole Martin Is "Stepping Back" from RHOM: "It's Not Goodbye Forever..."
Nicole Martin has been a The Real Housewives of Miami cast member since Season 4.
Dr. Nicole Martin has confirmed that she's "stepping back" from appearing full-time on The Real Housewives of Miami.
Nicole, who has been a cast member on RHOM since Season 4 stated that she wants to focus on her family and herself as she navigates postpartum anxiety after the birth of her daughter, Genevieve Nicole Lopez, earlier this year.
She spoke about the decision in an interview published Friday, Sept 13. "This is way more than just the normal new mom worries," she told PEOPLE. "It's an intense, overwhelming sense of worry and fear that comes out of nowhere and just consumes me."
Nicole went on to share that she has been making positive strides as she navigates this time, but the anxiety has been more intense than she expected. "I love being a mom. Of all the hats that I wear, and I wear many, being a mom is by far my favorite and most important role," she said. "But I'd be lying if I said dealing with this [anxiety] has been easy."
Season 7 of RHOM was confirmed earlier this year. Nicole shared that she is currently in a different "headspace" to appear full-time as "it’s a lot to juggle and I'm shifting my priorities."
"I need to put myself and my family first right now," she said of why she's approaching her role on RHOM differently, adding, “It’s not goodbye forever, I’ll pop-up here and there, just not in a full-time capacity. I just need to shift my focus on other things right now.”
Nicole also opened up more about her postpartum anxiety in an emotional statement she shared on Instagram on Friday:
"Taking a moment to shine a light on something I’ve been quietly navigating in my personal life…
On March 26th, we proudly welcomed our daughter, baby Genevieve, arriving 5 weeks ahead of schedule and spending almost 2 weeks in the NICU. After this pregnancy, I started to suffer from significant postpartum anxiety—something new that I did not experience with my previous pregnancy. It all started about a week after giving birth when I found myself having an overwhelming sense of worry and fear out of nowhere. It felt like my mind was constantly on high alert, panicked and worrying endlessly about the health of my baby, myself, and my family.
Postpartum anxiety is more common than we hear about, and it’s crucial that we talk openly about it. 1 in 5 mothers experience mental health disorders during or after pregnancy, with most issues going unreported and untreated. By sharing our experiences, we can offer each other comfort and strength, and remind one another that we’re not alone.
This is a part of my life that I am learning to navigate, and it’s been an emotional rollercoaster. Given where I am right now, I have decided not to return to RHOM as a full-time cast member. Prioritizing my health and my family is something I need to do at this moment. It’s a step towards healing and finding balance, and I hope you can understand and support this choice.
Thank you for being a part of this journey with me and for creating a space where I feel comfortable sharing these parts of my life. I hope that my openness can help others who might be struggling and encourage us all to support one another through our most challenging times.
With Love, Nicole."
Dr. Nicole Martin's Journey on The Real Housewives of Miami
Nicole joined the RHOM cast in Season 4 when the show returned to the airwaves after an eight-year hiatus, taking viewers inside her personal and professional life as well as her friendships — and, as noted in her cast bio, joining RHOM offered up "a new opportunity" for Nicole.
"For someone whose whole life was so regimented and calculated, she was open to changing things up and taking a risk in sharing her story. With this new platform, Nicole hopes to provide inspirational career and life advice to other young women," her bio adds. "She believes that women are capable of doing anything that they put their hearts and minds to."
Nicole Martin's Family Life
Nicole, of course, is a busy and loving mom to her son, Greyson Lopez, and partner to her now-fiancé, Anthony Lopez. The pair became engaged in December 2021 and later welcomed their daughter, Genevieve Nicole Lopez, in March 2024. And, yes, Greyson and Genevieve are "best friends."
Nicole also celebrated her 40th birthday in September, sharing a sweet moment from when she blew out the candles on her birthday cake, captioning the moment, "Blessed & thankful."
Dr. Nicole Martin's Career
As if that wasn't enough, in addition to her bustling family life, Nicole is also a board-certified Anesthesiologist and often shares peeks at her work as a doctor. Of choosing to practice Anesthesiology, she told The Daily Dish in 2023, "It just had everything that I wanted. You meet new people every day. You can be taking care of a newborn at 7 a.m., and then at 10 p.m., a 92-year-old,” she said. “It’s just a constant changing, and every case is different. To me, it just kind of had everything I wanted in a specialty.”
She's also one of the "evolutionary pioneers" behind the skincare brand, Exoceuticals. According to the website for the brand, "fueled by a passion to find skincare that truly works, Nicole’s journey led her to Excoceuticals. Her involvement goes beyond the surface, as she is integral to the Exoceuticals identity and its promise of excellence."
When speaking to The Daily Dish in 2023, she also shared she still has a few things she wants to pursue in her career and, yes, it's inspired by her life as a mom.
“I’m always telling Anthony I want to go back to school for something. I just enjoy reading. So one thing that’s definitely on my bucket list would be to write a book. That’s something that I would love to do. I think I want to write a kids’ book, interestingly enough,” Nicole continued. “I love being a mom, and I’m trying to instill a passion for reading and books in Greyson, so we read a ton. Every night, we have to read two books. It’s such a special bonding time. So I would love to write a kids’ book and be able to share that and have other people, you know, enjoy it with their kids. That’s on the bucket list of things to do.”
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