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Shannon Beador, 59, was arrested for a DUI and a hit-and-run just three days after she discussed the “drinking problem” accusations against her during a Sept. 13 interview with US Weekly. The Real Housewives of Orange County star spoke with the mag alongside her friend and former co-star Vicki Gunvalson, 61, and called the claims about her drinking “inaccurate” (watch the VIDEO HERE).
“Well it’s inaccurate,” the 59-year-old quipped. “Let’s look at other people on the show this season who’ve been drinking a lot.” Shannon also addressed the comments that her co-star, Gina Kirschenheiter, 39, made about her drinking during a Sept. 6 interview. “For her to come at me and say that I need… and I’m not looking at my life,” she said. “And that I have a -,” she continued before Vicki chimed in with, “a drinking problem.”
Additionally, the Bravo personality said that Gina needs to “not make Shannon Beador” her “storyline” on the hit reality series. Meanwhile, Vicki, who appeared on Season 17 as a “friend of,” made sure to comment on the alcohol consumption that occurs on the show. “The show, I hate to say it, does promote having fun and some alcohol,” the 61-year-old told the outlet last week. “And we can control what we put in our body. … It’s just when you film seven hours in a day and one [hour] of it or a half hour of it is whooping it up on a high level, that’s what they’re going to show because that’s fun.”
One week prior to Shannon and Vicki’s interview, Gina spoke to the same outlet about her co-star. “That’s a huge problem. I don’t care if Shannon wants to say she has a problem with alcohol or not,” the 39-year-old said. “I’m not here to judge anybody or diagnose anybody but that and her drinking is a problem for everybody else. And you would think that somebody would want to look at least that part of it.”
As mentioned above, three days following the interview with US Weekly, Shannon was arrested for a DUI and a hit-and-run in Newport Beach, CA, as reported by TMZ. Local officials told the outlet that the mother-of-three allegedly “drove her car onto a residential property” and reportedly “clipped” the home. The tabloid reported that she was booked for two misdemeanors, cited, and released without bond.
A lawyer for Shannon released a statement to TMZ regarding the incident on Sept. 18. “I spent quite a bit of time with Shannon yesterday. She is extremely apologetic and remorseful,” her lawyer, Michael Fell, said. “We will be awaiting the official information on this case as it becomes available, and Shannon is prepared to accept full responsibility for her actions.”
