Audrina Patridge with daughter Kirra.Photo: Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com
In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, the reality star opens up about the lessons she’s learned along the way as she prepares to release her new memoirChoices: To the Hills and Back Again, out July 26.
One of Patridge’s most difficult moments in the public eye was herdivorce from Corey Bohan. The duo split in 2018 after two rocky years, which included an incident she says her ex became physical with her. (Bohan, 40, denies the allegation.)
“It was a gradual build up,” Patridge, 37, says ofthe headline-fueling splitand its aftermath. “It was a gradual escalation that was heartbreaking. A divorce is like a death. It’s something you mourn. And it’s really hard to go through. So going through it in the public is even harder. Everything was released publicly so I felt like I had to include that in my book because it was such a big part of my life.”
“Now, it’s like, I love myself enough to walk away,” she continues. “You have to love yourself enough to say enough is enough. Or I’m not putting up with this. You crossed the line and I’m not okay with it. It’s all about communication and setting boundaries and not being pushed into peer pressure, or gaining that strength, courage, and security back that you’re going to be okay.”
She adds, “I’ve learned a lot of that going through this. And I’ve learned that when you’re in a bad relationship, you put up with a lot of things because you’re trying to force it to work and trying to change yourself, to make the other person happy. And that’s not good. You’ve got to notice all those signs and stop it before it gets too far.”
Simon and Schuster
In an exclusive excerpt from her book, Patridge shares the eye-opening moments during her pregnancy in which she realized she may become a single mother to her and Bohan’s now 6-year-old daughter Kirra.
Being pregnant changed my perspective on everything. I felt like my senses were on high alert, and when you’re the only one sober in a group of people partying, it really lets you see more clearly. Whenever Corey was in town very briefly during those months, we’d go out with friends, and I would obviously be the designated driver. I often wanted to go home early if I was tired or my feet hurt, but I didn’t want to be a buzzkill, and Corey wasn’t tuned in to what I needed. Seeing him get drunk, reckless, and meanwhile I was completely sober was eye-opening. Normally I’d have been drinking with him, and if he said rude things, I would fight back. But now that I was pregnant and sober, I would just stay silent because I didn’t want to get into a fight with a drunk man. Which, it turns out, would make him even angrier. He didn’t take it out on me as much, but he could be mean and aggressive toward his friends, yelling and calling them names. It really hit home for me to see it while I was sober. Corey wouldn’t remember any of it the next day, which enabled him to move on like it wasn’t a big deal.
Audrina Patridge and Corey Bohan.Jason Kempin/Getty
Audrina Patridge.Rodin Eckenroth/Getty
Patridge’s memoirChoices: To the Hills and Back Againis out July 26.
source: people.com
