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The Daily Dish The Real Housewives of Orange County

Emily Shares Heartbreaking Story Behind Her New Look: “I Couldn’t Stop Crying”

The RHOC cast member said cutting her hair helped her cope with a family loss.

By Joshua Espinoza
Emily Simpson Addresses the Body Shaming Comments She's Received

Emily Simpson has shed more light on her updated look.

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About a month ago, The Real Housewives of Orange County mom debuted a sleeker and much shorter hairstyle by Roya Falahi, the owner of Salon by Riri in Laguna Niguel, California.

“I did a thing… needed to simplify my life,” she captioned an Instagram post that showed off her new ’do. “Grief does that to you.”

Fans and Bravolebrities react to Emily’s shorter hair

Though the move surprised many fans who have only known Emily with long, wavy hair, the consensus was that she looked absolutely gorgeous. The post was flooded with thousands of gushing comments from fans and other Bravolebrities, including RHOC’s Heather Dubrow and Taylor Armstrong, The Real Housewives of DallasStephanie Hollman, and The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Margaret Josephs, who wrote: “Stunning, hot, sophisticated!! Love!!”

However, the post also left fans with one big question: What “grief” was Emily referring to?

The former attorney provided more details via Instagram on Saturday, July 1, when she conducted a Q&A session with followers. One person asked: “How did you get the courage to cut your hair? Love it btw!”

How Emily’s haircut helped her cope with a family loss

Emily answered in a Story that featured a photo of herself with her family dog Fisker.

“I had to put Fisker to sleep on Sunday, May 14th. Two days later I had a hair appointment and I couldn’t stop crying,” she explained. “I asked her to remove all my extensions and cut my hair. I felt so heavy with grief that for some reason cutting my hair off felt therapeutic.”

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On the day of Fisker’s death, Emily shared a heartfelt tribute post for the “once in a lifetime dog.”

“Thank you for being my constant companion, my shower and bath guard, my night time snuggle buddy, licker of tears, and co pilot on road trips,” she wrote. “I can’t fathom life without you but I will forever hold you in my heart.”

Emily addresses her fitness and health journey

Emily’s Instagram Q&A covered a wide range of topics, including her family life, her home state of Ohio, and her love of horses. However, most of the questions were related to Emily’s health journey. The OC mom touched on her goal weight, experience with weight-loss medication, and undergoing plastic surgery, as well as her fitness and diet plan. Emily explained that she didn’t give up alcohol or any specific foods, but simply practiced “mindful eating.”

“I think I struggled over the past seven years [because] I convinced myself that because I worked out consistently… I could eat anything I wanted,” she wrote. “Clearly that wasn’t working!! My age, hormones, and zero testosterone are all factors as well. This is the first time that I’ve actually changed my diet and stuck to it.”

Emily
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