With all the ups and downs, surprises and excitement, drama and fights, it is little wonder that so many people have become hooked on the Bravo show, Real Housewives of Orange County, over the years. Many have followed the lives and adventures of the stars, one of whom is Tamra Judge. However, with Tamra having now quit the show, many viewers will be left missing one of the key players in Real Housewives.

In a recent announcement on her Instagram page, Tamra informed fans that she was leaving after 12 long years on the show. She said that she had enjoyed a ‘wild 12 years’ on Real Housewives of Orange County, but that she thought it was now important to move on to other things. In fact, she has already launched her VenaCBD company, so she is clearly moving forward. However, many are left wondering why she decided to leave.

Problems with Ex-Husband’s Health

After Tamra made her announcement on social media, there was naturally a lot of speculation with regard to why she decided to quit. Some believed it was down to family problems while others thought it could be to do with coming to blows with Kelly Dodd over a rumor that emerged and details were aired on camera, which resulted in Dodd offering to be a character witness in a defamation lawsuit that was filed against the star.

However, according to more recent report, the key reason behind her decision could be to do with her ex-husband, Simon Barney, and his cancer diagnosis. She apparently learned of this late last year, and after she found out, she admitted that she fell apart. She said that all sorts of things were going through her head, including the prospect of having to take her children to their father’s funeral. According to reports, this is also when she decided not to return for season 15 having been in the show for 12 years.

Judge said that she had reevaluated her life and her role on the show after learning that Simon had been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition. Her decision was made partly on the basis that she did not wish to spend her time with people who were always fighting about things that were unimportant in life, which could be a reference to the issues with Dodd.

It was also revealed that Judge had been planning to make her announcement much earlier than this, before season 14 even started filming. However, according to reports, she was talked out of doing this at the time by friends and family because of the emotional state she was in. Instead, she took more time to think it through, but still decided that quitting and moving forward with her life was the best decision.

While Tamra will certainly be missed on the show by many of the other stars and especially the viewers, it seems that this is a very personal decision and one that she believes is the right one for her.