Fans of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" were surprised when the usually tough-as-nails NeNe Leakes had a breakdown during the show's season 7 reunion.
It can be recalled that when Dr. Jeff appeared on the show, he advised NeNe to find out how she and the other women can get along better. NeNe said that she has a serious fear of rejection due to her parents abandoning her.
After she walked off the stage in tears, executive producer Andy Cohen asked NeNe's husband Gregg Leakes what was going on, and the latter revealed that NeNe's mother had five children when she was still very young and abandoned NeNe and one of her brothers to be raised by an aunt — NeNe hasn't quite gotten over this.
While many of her detractors are calling her breakdown fake, the reality star said that what happened at the reunion was not a publicity stunt and that she has feelings just like everybody else.
"My exterior may come off tough to some but my heart is made of pure gold! I have overcome and conquered things that would have broken the average person," NeNe began on her Bravo blog.
NeNe said that it took a lot of courage for her to express exactly what she was feeling at the reunion.
"I need you to understand what it took for me to put myself on display for all to see and how vulnerable I felt in that moment," she wrote. "Honestly I never wanted to cry or feel vulnerable in front of people who don't like me! I am not an abandoned woman! I am not a victim! I love my mother with every inch of me and I'm sure she wanted more for me than she could offer at the time!"
Following her breakdown on the show, NeNe said that she has reached out to the other ladies to thank them for their kindness and support during her breakdown.
NeNe and the rest of the ladies will be back for another season of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" which will start filming this summer.
