Though this revelation may have seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision, Charrisse said she had several reasons for waiting until the end of the reunion to reveal it. "It wasn’t an environment where I’m really around people who really give two flying fricks about my marriage or whatever. I really did not want to be emotional in that setting with that audience, and that's why I chose to do it the way that I did do it," Charrisse told The Daily Dish. "Even doing it that way, I had to contain myself from being emotional."
Charrisse said she also wanted to present her real-life marriage issues in a way that could be helpful and relatable to people going through the same thing, not have a "mockery" be made out of her situation by people like Gizelle Bryant.
"We go through all this catfighting on the show, and the thing about my situation, it’s a real situation that’s going on in my life," Charrisse said. "I don’t mind sharing my story or things that I go through in my life, but for people to attack it and all of that — and when it's not even necessary — it’s ridiculous."
Since the reunion, Charrisse said Robyn Dixon and Katie Rost are the only castmates that have reached out to offer support during this difficult time.
"Robyn and I have been friends the longest, and Robyn gets it. Robyn gets me. She gets the whole spectrum bigger than anybody else on the show because it’s semi-like her life... There’s a sincere friendship and there’s a sincere love that is shared between Robyn and I, and I know that she really cares about me," Charrisse said. "Katie also reaches out a lot and checks in, makes sure that I’m OK and all that."
Unfortunately, it sounds like Charrisse needs that support now more than ever as the events of the RHOP reunion, which were filmed a little more than a month ago, made her realize that she might not be able to save her marriage.
"I’ve come to terms with the reality of my life," she said. "Unfortunately, I’ve been in an unhappy place for many years, and it’s just now I’ve accepted that the marriage isn’t going to work."
Before the reunion, Charrisse said she was still hopeful that she and Eddie would be able to fix what she called "years of a damaged relationship."
"I’ve spent many years trying to make it work. I love family. I came from a home with two parents. That’s all I know. I’m totally unfamiliar with the world of divorce, but I do understand that it’s a common thing these days," she explained. "I was trying to, I guess, be like my mother. I’m sure my mother had challenging times in the course of her 50 years of being married, but they worked at being a family. It was disappointing, it's a hard situation to accept, but it is what it is."
Charrisse said she now sees divorce in her future. "I think at this point, I know my husband doesn’t want the relationship anymore, and I’ve accepted it," she said. "So now it’s going to that next step is where I am now."
Though it may seem like RHOP put a strain on Charrisse and Eddie's marriage, she said the "problems" in her marriage existed "well before" she appeared on the show.
"I knew when I decided to be a part of the show that it would probably be the demise of my marriage. But I was making a decision for myself. It was a risk I was willing to take," Charrisse explained. "As much as I wanted my marriage to work, at the same time, I also had to be cognizant of what the future had for me. My kids are 18 and 16. I gave up my career. For me, I usually do things for a purpose, and one of the biggest purposes for me doing this show was to share, believe it or not, my struggles. The way that I walk about life, people think everything is so great, but it's not. Inside, I'm just like a bombshell about to explode, but on the inside I’m smiling."
In fact, watching herself back on RHOP this season has already helped Charrisse see how unhappy she was in her marriage.
"The crazy thing is, when I watch the show throughout the season, I just see this sad person," she said. "And that was another thing that took me to a place of realizing that, you know what, it’s time for things to be different for you. Because I see this sad person, and I don’t want to be that person anymore. I’ve been that person for a long time."
She gave her impromptu rap as Cha Cha during her 50th birthday bash as an example of the Charrisse she'd like the world to see from now on.
"Stuff like that, even seeing that side of me, that’s who I am. I’m usually a fun person, I like to entertain, make sure everyone has a good time, and I like to act silly sometimes," she said. "That’s Charrisse."
Charrisse admitted that she's "scared out of my mind right now" for what she's about to face in her marriage, but she's still excited for what the future holds.
"I turned 50, so reclaiming myself, finding Charrisse, finding things that make myself happy," Charrisse said of what she's looking forward to now. "I’ve always been taking care of everyone else, and I let go of myself. So now, it’s about regaining Charrisse and finding that happiness that has been missing for so long."
Source/Photo Credit: Bravo