Ashley Darby Speaks Out on Mia Thornton's 'RHOP' Exit: 'This is Not an Easy Process' (Exclusive)
For Darby, this series has been something she's wanted to do for a long time. "Andy Cohen will tell you that I have been asking, begging and pleading for something like this for the past two and a half years," she quipped in an exclusive interview with Parade. Darby confessed that not only did she want a Bravo dating show, but other fellow Bravo stars, including Kenya Moore and Sutton Stracke (who aren't on Season 1 at least), also liked the idea.
"When finally, the powers that be listened to the ladies and gave us what we wanted, I knew that it was going to be a fantastic thing," she said. "So I packed my bags and ran to Cabo."
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Unlike other dating shows, the four contestants are extremely well-known, with an audience that has followed their personal love lives for the better part of a decade. That layer adds stakes to the experience, and as Ashley puts it, allows viewers to watch them "redefine" what love means to them.
"None of us have been in this situation where these men were vetted," she explains. "We've all dated our share, and obviously haven't had the best luck...so to know that we were putting our faith in the hands of whoever were counting these men, was a little nervewrecking but also exciting." She adds that they all had to learn to "trust the process."
What surprised Ashley the most about this experience? Just how real the journey became for her. "I didn't expect to care or to be as invested as I actually became," she said. "I thought I was going to go and play this game of chess, and do my thing, but surprisingly, I really developed real feelings, and I allowed myself to fall into this web of love and I didn't think I was going to. I was really guarded about it ... but it overtook me. I really leaned into the experience."
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Darby also shared her thoughts on the latest news coming out of The Real Housewives of Potomac: Mia Thornton's departure from the series. Just hours after Thornton took to Instagram with her announcement, Darby told Parade that she understands that a show like The Real Housewives "can be challenging."
"This is not an easy process," Darby said. "I can attest first hand. I know that when things are in the shitter, and everyone has an opinion on your life and you have to answer some hard questions, it can be very challenging and it's mentally taxing. If Mia is not in a place where she can handle that and deal with that, then I support and I'm happy that she is making the right decision for herself to leave the show."
"That's most important," she added. "Getting her life together, making sure her children are happy and taken care of, those are the priorities that she needs to focus on and I'm glad, hopefully, that she's doing that."
Bravo's Love Hotel premieres Sunday, April 27th at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo, with episodes streaming next day on Peacock.
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