Shannon Beador is seeking help following her DUI arrest, according to her close friend Jeff Lewis.
“I am happy to say that she is gonna be entering counseling this week, so I’m happy about that,” Lewis, 53, shared his Sirius XM show “Jeff Lewis Live” on Monday, September 18, ” adding that Beador, 59, is “accepting full accountability” and is “ashamed” of herself.
“I don’t think Shannon is an alcoholic,” Lewis continued. “I think as her close friend, I think she’s going through a lot of personal struggles right now, and I think that she probably has been leaning on alcohol, but I don’t believe she’s an alcoholic.”
On Saturday, September 16, Beador was accused of hitting a home with her car and taking off, per TMZ. The reality star reportedly left her car in the middle of the road before getting out to walk her dog. She was subsequently charged with two misdemeanors, including a DUI.
While Beador’s car was seized, she was released without bond as authorities continue to investigate the incident.
Hours after the arrest made headlines on Monday, September 18, Beador’s attorney issued a statement: “I spent quite a lot of time with Shannon yesterday. She is extremely apologetic and remorseful. We will be awaiting the official information on this case as it becomes available, and Shannon is prepared to accept full responsibility for her actions.”
Lewis, meanwhile, told his listeners on Monday he was “shocked” by what happened because Beador was “never known” to drink and drive during their entire friendship.
“I’m not justifying it, I’m not condoning it, I am just telling you what I know,” he added.
Days before her arrest, Beador denied costar Gina Kirschenheiter’s accusations about her drinking. “Let’s look at other people on the show this season who’ve been drinking a lot,” Beador exclusively told Us Weekly in a joint interview with friend and Real Housewives of Orange County costar Vicki Gunvalson.
“The show, I hate to say it, does promote having fun and some alcohol,” Gunvalson, 61, added “And we can control what we put in our body. … It’s just when you film seven hours in a day and one [hour] of it or a half hour of it is whooping it up on a high level, that’s what they’re going to show because that’s fun.”
Gunvalson added that Beador “knows how to whoop it up” for the cameras, but her behavior shouldn’t be used by other cast members for a “story line.”
