Trigger Warning: This article includes discussion of alleged sexual assault, with details.
Mauricio Umansky, known for his appearances on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with estranged wife Kyle Richards, spoke about how Alexia Umansky’s inner circle learned about her past sexual assault. The 56-year-old father said she wanted to speak to them directly, and they kept waiting for the right moment.
Mauricio Umansky explains why Alexia told Kyle Richards about her sexual assault over the phone
Mauricio spoke to Us Weekly after his elimination from Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test on October 15. He explained, “We, the family as a whole, did not have the opportunity to have the conversation before it aired. Alexia did call [her mom] Kyle before it aired. She wanted to do it in person, and we kept looking for the right moment to do it and to have that conversation.”
He shared that although he and Alexia knew about the episode beforehand, they didn’t have enough time to sit down and talk about it. “Alexia and I were together in New York, I think, and she had to call her mom and tell her about it over the phone, which was really difficult. But the whole family has not been together yet to really have an opportunity to discuss that,” he said.
In the October 8 episode of the Fox competition series, Alexia opened up about the assault. She said, “Seven years ago, I was on a trip with some friends, and I was with people I trust. I was put to bed because I had a little too much to drink. And I woke up, and I could tell something had happened.” She described feeling powerless during the assault, recalling that she “didn’t even have the power or consciousness to say no.”
She said she felt completely objectified and experienced a lot of pain and anger because of it. At the one-year mark, she decided that happiness was a choice and chose to put the experience behind her, although it still hurts. The 30-year-old TV personality and real estate agent eventually opened up to her father about the assault. She revealed that she had initially kept the incident a secret because she didn’t want her parents to experience the pain of learning what had happened.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
