Does Vicki Gunvalson Feel Responsible for the Stress That Caused Shannon Beador's Weight Gain?

When Vicki Gunvalson brought up allegations about Shannon Beador's husband, David Beador, last season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, it not only seemed to sever their friendship but also have a profound effect on Shannon in other ways.

Shannon explained this season of RHOC that her weight gain was triggered by the stress that came from Vicki making those claims. "That stress caused me to eat more, caused me to drink more, and that's a huge part of why I gained my weight," Shannon said during the Season 12 premiere. 

Vicki apologized to Shannon for the toll their drama seems to have taken on her ex-friend during a recent interview with ET. “I'm sorry,” Vicki said. “You know, I'm sorry that you feel that way and I don't want to cause her any stress … If I'm responsible for it, I'm really, really sorry. I don't want anything bad for Shannon and David. I actually want them to have a happy, healthy marriage. I told her that from the very beginning when she confided in me on their situation.”

However, Vicki said that she doesn't believe that she's responsible for Shannon's weight gain while speaking with The Daily Dish on Monday. "Well, again, I'm sorry, Shannon, if you think I'm responsible for your weight gain. I truly am. But I don't believe I am. I believe that her marriage and her situation of exposing her marriage problems on TV was also a contributing factor to the stress," Vicki said. "With stress, you can either gain weight or lose weight, and, unfortunately, she's middle-aged, she's two years younger than me, and we all struggle with weight issues. It is hard as you get older and you go through the change to keep your weight off. So I don't think that's 100 percent my fault. I'm sure stress did cause her to gain some weight. But I can't take the blame for that."

Vicki went on to say that what she "can take the blame for" is repeating the allegations to Kelly Dodd. "That I shouldn't have done," Vicki shared. "So [in] hindsight, I know now to zip it and throw away the key. I can't share anything with anybody, because, unfortunately, it doesn't stay between two people."

Shannon ultimately took responsibility for her weight gain in her blog on Bravotv.com. "By the beginning of this year, I gained almost 40 pounds in an eight month period. I am the one responsible for gaining the weight," Shannon wrote. "A combination of factors contributed to my weight gain, but it all started with the stress related to false allegations made about my husband last year. For a five month period, I didn’t know whether those false allegations were going to be made public, whether they were going to [be] believed, and most importantly whether my husband and children would be damaged. As the stress built up, I started and eating and drinking more than I ever have. And as you see, I’m not in a good space. I look in the mirror and don’t recognize myself. I am embarrassed." 

Shannon went on to ask for some support from fans as she goes through this difficult journey this season. "There are multiple factors that have contributed to my size and it will be addressed this season on the show. To those people who intend to write cruel or derogatory comments to me, I want to let you know you will be blocked and the comment deleted," Shannon wrote in an Instagram post ahead of the RHOC season premiere. "Gaining weight and trying to take it off is a struggle that most women will face at some point in their lives. I am hopeful that my fans and viewers of the show will be supportive of my journey. I am very grateful and thankful to those people that have already reached out to me with their kind thoughts. Let the season begin..."

Shannon will be looking to feng shui to help get back on track in Monday night's new episode at 9/8c. Watch a preview, below.

Shannon Beador Works on the Feng Shui in Her New Home