Unafraid to offer an unsolicited piece of advice, and always ready to tell it like it
is, Dorinda Medley is one of the most contentious cast members to ever appear on The Real Housewives
of New York City.
"When Dorinda's bad, she is so good."
A hero to some and a villain to others — and certainly an acquired taste all around — Dorinda
has a tendency to frequently rub people the wrong way.
"Let's take the elephant out of the room right now. Shut your mouth."
But if there's one thing fans of the show can all agree on, it's that Dorinda has certainly
been through some very hard times. In particular, the loss of her late husband, Richard, devastated
Dorinda and her daughter, Hannah, and colored many of their early appearances on the show.
During a chat with then castmate Carole Radziwill, who'd suffered a similar loss, Dorinda opened
up about life without Richard, in a way that endeared the tough New Yorker to a whole new
legion of fans. Her hubby may not have been as well-known as Carole's — who was a nephew
of Jackie Kennedy's — but Richard's death in 2011 left a gaping hole in Dorinda's family
that she has struggled to fill, ever since.
According to Bloomberg, Richard was a hugely successful hedge fund manager and a former
business partner of George Soros. He also worked as a speechwriter for Geraldine Ferraro,
the first woman to run for Vice President and to be on any ticket — Democratic or
Republican — according to The New York Times.
Richard and Dorinda tied the knot in 2005 at a swanky, 50s-themed event complete with
all the trimmings, according to New York Magazine. In a blog for Bravo, castmate Ramona Singer
noted,
"Richard and Dorinda made a great couple. He was a gentleman in every way — warm-hearted
and a gentle soul. […] It took Dorinda a few years to really bounce back to herself
[following his death]."
Bloomberg reported that Richard's illness was mercifully short-lived. He passed away
from liver failure at the age of 60, but Dorinda has since remained tight-lipped about the
particulars of his illness. On the show, however, she opened up about caring for him at the
end of his life, calling it a quote, "honor."
"It really was a great friendship. It was a deep, deep, journey of a friendship."
But while he may be gone, it seems Richard is never too far away. During a reading with
a psychic, a miraculous incident involving a balloon led Dorinda to believe that Richard
may have been reaching out to her from beyond the grave.
"I know I'm very popular with the other world."
But as close as the couple was, there was at least one thing Richard didn't know about
his wife. As Dorinda revealed on the show, he never knew she had implants.
"This is a true story. So, Richard never knew my boobs were fake. Really? Cuz they're so
soft."
Even now, Dorinda clearly holds Richard close to her heart. And she will defend him to the
death. Her Housewives co-star Elyse Slaine told the Juicy Scoop podcast that the recent
feud between Dorinda and Tinsley Mortimer involved one particularly nasty moment in
relation to Dorinda's late husband. Elyse explained,
"A lot of the audience didn't see Tinsley poking [at Dorinda]. I think Dorinda has gotten
an incredible amount of hate that is not [100] percent deserved."
According to Elyse, Mortimer mocked Dorinda when she was opening up about Richard's death,
as well as her recent split from boyfriend, John. Elyse recalled,
"I just kept thinking, 'Oh Tinsley, please stop. This is not going to go well for you.'
But people, for some reason, chose to ignore that."
"Your husband left you, and my husband died."
In another heated moment, Ramona Singer felt Dorinda's wrath for referring to her late
husband as her ex rather than as deceased. It all started on Twitter when Dorinda was
asked whether she disagreed with Elyse keeping a close eye on their castmate Leah McSweeney's
drinking habits, to which Dorinda tweeted,
"YES CALLING A PERSON AN ALCOHOLIC IS MAJOR and irresponsible."
Then, to follow that up, Dorinda finally called out Romona on her own behalf, tweeting,
"By the way not ex husband, LATE husband. […] Terrible that [Ramona Singer] doesn't
respect death. It's terrible terrible terrible!"
It seems that no matter how long Richard has been gone, Dorinda will continue to preserve
and honor his memory.
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