Lara Sophia 
On Sunday’s all-new episode of RHOP, Mia Thornton confesses that she was sexually assaulted as the entire cast opens up about their difficult pasts.
The Real Housewives of Potomac stars had some “hard conversations” on Sunday’s episode of the show.
While at Karen Huger’s event for the nonprofit group PAVE, Mia Thornton revealed that she is the victim of sexual assault as the rest of the cast also opened up about their experiences with sexual assault and abuse.
“I had an experience when I was a teenager. I was unable to give consent. At the time, I didn’t really realize what …the severity of what had happened,” Robyn Dixon said in her confessional interview.
“I didn’t even realize that what had happened to me was what it was until, like, years later,” Candiace Dillard admitted.
In her own confessional, Ashley Darby said, “It’s very triggering for me because of my own experiences that I had at the hands of a family member, and the saddest thing is to know that it’s happening now. It’s so prevalent. It is heartbreaking.”
At Karen’s event, Mia sat next to the Grande Dame of Potomac and held her hand as they watched fellow survivor Ella perform on stage.
“At the end of the day, we have a lot in common. It does not surprise me that in this very, very room, we have women who have been sexually assaulted, and thank God they feel safe enough to share their truth,” Karen said in her RHOP confessional.
Mia wiped away tears as she got up and walked away from the table.
“Oh, Mia, you can do it. You can do it. You got this. You got this,” Mia said to herself in the bathroom.
Ashley got up and went to check on Mia, who told her RHOP co-star, “I’m okay. I’m okay. [I] just needed a second.”
“I didn’t know…that something happened to you?” Ashley asked, to which Mia replied, “Yeah, it’s something that I battle with a lot. I almost didn’t come.”
“This whole what we’re doing, is triggering. It’s my coping mechanism to get the f*** out when s*** is uncomfortable. You know what I mean?” Mia explained.
“And unfortunately, that day, I couldn’t get out, you know? And it’s just like, Mia, why didn’t you just leave? Why didn’t you just, like just why did you put yourself in that situation,” Mia said tearfully.
Mia then explained that one of the main reasons she is so hard on her longtime friend Jacqueline Blake is because she is still angry with her for leaving her on the night that she was assaulted.
“And you know what’s f***ed up is that I know this is why I take s*** out on Jacqueline because she left me there,” Mia said.
“Jacqueline left you there when it happened?” Ashley asked.
“And I know I’m a f***ed up friend to her because of it, and it’s not fair to her. She didn’t know that was gonna happen to me. She trusted her boyfriend; she trusted him. You know, I get it. And when she came back the next day, she was so scared. She’s like, ‘Mia, what happened to you?'” Mia said, crying.
In her confessional, Mia explained that over the years, she’s struggled to forgive Jacqueline.
“When I look back, I probably have always been a little meaner to her because of it,” Mia said. “And 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.”
When Ashley thanked Mia for sharing, the two hugged and said, “Girl, of course. We’re gonna be okay.”
Mia then rejoined Karen’s event which is when Candiace asked what happened.
“No, I’m fine. I just needed a moment,” Mia replied.
Gizelle Bryant then admits that she’s worried about her oldest daughter, Grace, going to college and being on her own. As a result, she has signed Grace up for self-dense classes.
The episode also featured a cooking event with Robyn and Juan Dixon and Mia and her husband Gordon. At the cooking class, Mia peppers Juan about the hotel incident.
The Real Housewives of Potomac airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
