The Real Housewives of Orange County star Gina Kirschenheiter has had a tough couple of years following her divorce from her ex-husband Matt Kirschenheiter.
Fans watched as Gina’s marriage troubles played out on RHOC and she did her best to co-parent with Matt for the sake of their children.
The former couple shares three children together Nicholas, 8, Sienna, 6, and Luca, 5.
While Gina has happily moved on with her boyfriend, Travis Mullen, she has struggled with Matt’s domestic battery case. The case comes following an alleged altercation back in 2019 where Gina accused Matt of domestic violence.
Gina worries for her children if Matt goes to jail
During last season of RHOC, Gina was open about the situation with Matt’s domestic battery case.
She shared her concern for her children if Matt were to go to prison, which is why she struggled with the entire case to begin with. She knew that even though her kids would be impacted by the possible outcomes, she needed Matt to be held accountable for his behavior.
She said, “What’s going on, it’s heartbreaking, but I think it will be very beneficial for my children to see that I will stick up for myself and I’m not just gonna let Matt brush this off,”
Gina added, “Somebody’s always swooping in to save him and I just really feel like he needs to know that I’m not that person anymore.”
While Matt’s future has yet to be decided, Gina seems to be at peace with her decision to make a statement and she knows it was the right thing to do for herself and for her family.
According to Us Weekly, Matt pleaded guilty to the charges against him as Gina shared an impact statement at the hearing.
Gina’s impact statement left her in tears as she said, “I thought I was going to die. I still get chills thinking about how I begged you to, ‘Stop. Think about the kids.’ And you responded by saying, ‘Your mom is going to die tonight,’”
She continued, “It echoes in my brain, and it sinks deep in my heart. That night, it literally felt like I was in a house with a stranger whom I’d never met before. Your eyes were completely black, and you were not Matt. It was so hard for me to believe that it was even you, but it was.”
Following the emotional statement, Gina took to social media to let fans know that everything would “be ok.”
Gina speaks out after her emotional impact statement and Matt’s guilty plea
Gina made an Instagram post yesterday and shared a quote about standing up for yourself.
The quote read, “Say what you need to say. Stand up for yourself. It will hurt just as bad as not standing up for yourself but the long term pain will be lessened exponentially.”
She wrote a message to her fans along with the post and said, “It’s been a hard last few days but it will be ok. It always is [heart emoji] endless gratitude to everyone who has been sending me love and supporting me.”
Fellow housewife Emily Simpson commented on the post to share her support for Gina and wrote, “The baddest and strongest woman and mother I know! Love you always.”
RHOC alum Gretchen Rossi also commented with a series of heart and muscle emojis.
Many fans thanked Gina for her courage and bravery. Several followers commented that they were proud of her for standing up against domestic violence and using her platform to share her message.
The Real Housewives of Orange County is currently on hiatus.