'RHOP' star Mia Thornton recounts traumatic experience of sexual assault she 'blamed' on Jacqueline Blake
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Reality star Mia Thornton, a cast member of 'The Real Housewives of Potomac,' emotionally revealed her past experience with sexual assault during a poignant moment on the show's recent episode.
The disclosure occurred during co-star Karen Huger's luncheon for Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment (PAVE), an organization supporting rape victims.
Mia Thornton breaks down recounting sexual assault
Overwhelmed by the triggering nature of the event, Thornton sought solace in the bathroom, in tears. She shared her coping mechanism of leaving uncomfortable situations but expressed her inability to do so on that particular day.
“It’s my coping mechanism to get the f**k out when s**t’s uncomfortable and, unfortunately, that day, I couldn’t get out,” she told her co-star Ashley Darby, who rushed to the restroom to console her.
“It’s just, like, ‘Why didn’t you just leave? Why did you put yourself in that situation?'”
Thornton opened up about displacing her anger onto her friend Jacqueline Blake, also a former 'RHOP' star, holding her partially responsible for the assault as she "left her" with the assailant.
Tearfully acknowledging her unfair treatment of Blake, Thornton emphasized the trust Blake had in her boyfriend at the time.
“Because Jacqueline did leave me that night and because of the sequence of events that happened once she left, I think over the years I’ve wanted to forgive her … when I look back, I probably have always been a little meaner to her because of it,” the 'RHOP' star, who recently split from her estranged husband Gordon Thornton, said in a confessional interview.
“That doesn’t make it right. It’s just an emotional thing that I think a lot of people do. We don’t even realize it until we look back and see it.”
'RHOP' cast unites in emotional discussion about sexual assault
In a powerful and emotional episode of 'The Real Housewives of Potomac' (RHOP), cast members Ashley Darby and Mia Thornton opened up about their personal experiences with sexual assault.
Darby, 35, shared that her own assault occurred "at the hands of a family member," expressing the heartbreak of realizing that such incidents continue to happen.
In response, Darby, 35, embraced Mia, who responded, “We’re going to be OK.”
Darby shared, "The saddest thing is to know that it’s happening now. It’s so prevalent. It is heartbreaking.”
Robyn Dixon, another cast member, also disclosed that she had an "experience" during her teenage years, highlighting the importance of raising awareness about the severity of such incidents.
'RHOP' star Robyn Dixon also recalled an “experience” when she was a teen, saying she was “unable to give consent” and “didn’t really realize” at the time the “severity” of what happened.
