On Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Whitney Rose’s dad Steve has been a part of his daughter’s story since the start.
Steve Lesh has battled with his own demons, and viewers learn in one episode that he was a self-made millionaire who eventually lost everything due to addiction.
He still has the love and support of his daughter. Here’s what to know about the RHOSLC star’s father and what Whitney Rose revealed about his struggles with addiction issues.
Steve Rose agreed to share his story on RHOSLC
Viewers first see Whitney’s dad Steve in the premiere episode. He’s in attendance for his daughter’s marriage vow renewal ceremony, smiling proudly. He also roots her on as she does some pole dancing during the afterparty.
It’s a big deal for her family to be there because Whitney said they weren’t on board with her relationship years ago based on her illicit affair with her married boss.
Whitney was also married at the time, and both divorced their partners in order to be together. The scandal surrounding Whitney’s affair and divorce led to her parting ways with the Mormon church.
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In the second episode, Whitney’s dad Steve, drops by to visit his daughter and grandkids, giving some more insight into his story. Whitney explains her dad was a self-made millionaire who had his own successful hair salon, but he lost it all.
That was due to his addiction struggles, which he agreed to have presented on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City as part of Whitney’s story.
In the trailer previewing the season, Steve is shown in tears, saying, “The last thing a dad wants is to call his daughter and tell her I’m a drug addict.”
Viewers also learn that Steve is 63 years old, and his wife divorced him years ago. That led to him turning to prescription drugs to self-medicate. During a confessional interview in Episode 2, Whitney explains that her parents’ marriage was struggling, and they got divorced when she was 16. She explained “my dad became very lonely” after the divorce.
Whitney is helping her dad with his sobriety
In Episode 2 of RHOSLC, Whitney tells viewers she was a “daddy’s girl” growing up, as her dad attended all her events for cheerleading or dance recitals. However, she admits that the relationship has changed so much now because her dad “has been addicted to painkillers for the last 10 years.”
According to ET Online, Whitney Rose talked about helping out her father through his sobriety. It’s been a tough battle all around for her and Steve due to having their story shown on TV, especially with the local Mormon community’s eyes on it.
“It’s very raw, very real, helping my dad through sobriety,” Whitney told ET. “The time that we started filming was right when he decided — he just finished rehab, 30 days of rehab, and getting him to take the next step from rehab to sober living was really, really hard. Very emotional. I can’t even put it into words.”
Shortly after the second episode of RHOSLC aired on Bravo, Whitney took to her Instagram to share a series of videos and photos of her dad.
“I am so proud of my father for sharing his journey battling addiction. I will always be my daddy’s girl ❤️,” she wrote in the caption.
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Whitney also told ET, “You see my dad admitting that he’s an addict and that he needs help. I’m so proud of him, and sobriety is an everyday thing. It’s not just, ‘You completed this and now you’re done!’ We’re still going through it.”
Steve is looking to rebuild his life and business
Another tidbit gained from Episode 2 was about Steve’s business. He tells Whitney he has a full set of “stuff to open a salon with.”
According to Whitney in her confessional interview, Steve was a very successful hair school owner, salon owner, and even developed his own hair care line.
He lost all of what he built up due to those addiction issues, but it’s promising to see him saying he wants to go back to doing what he loves once he figures things out.
“I’m starting over at 63 years old,” Steve tells Whitney on RHOSLC. “I look at it as a blessing. I prayed for the rain now I gotta deal with the mud.”
Viewers will get to see more of Steve as part of Whitney’s story unfolds on the reality TV series, bringing his ups and downs under the spotlight. Many people will be rooting for him to succeed, especially Whitney.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.