D’Andra Simmons‘ mother, Dee “Momma Dee” Simmons, turned 80 years old on Monday, February 22.
After spending the past few seasons delivering memorable one-liners on The Real Housewives of Dallas and frequently butting heads on-screen with her daughter, Dee celebrated the milestone with a birthday dinner as D’Andra looked back on their troubled past while acknowledging that she now sees their differences as blessings.
“My mother and I have had our years of ups and downs,” D’Andra said in a statement to Reality Blurb ahead of her big day. “The viewers have seen us fight vehemently and make up with sincerity. We are both stubborn, opinionated women that always say what we think, but we love each other to the moon and back.”
D’Andra celebrates Momma Dee’s 80th birthday.
While D’Andra’s relationship with her mother has been complicated at times, mainly due to their many disputes over their family business, which includes nutrition line Ultimate Living and skincare line Hard Night Good Morning, the longtime RHOD star admitted that it was her mom who made her the woman she is today.
“My mom made me who I am, forthright, driven to succeed, and passionate with a purpose,” she shared. “We realize that a mother-daughter relationship is fraught with real life issues, especially when there are two strong personalities. Sharing our differences has been a blessing for us as we have been able to help others who are in similar situations, and we also show the path to redemption and love in the end.”
“No matter what, in the end, we always have each other,” she added.
Momma Dee celebrated her 80th birthday with a small group of family and friends.
Earlier this year, on the heels of the RHOD season five premiere, D’Andra spoke to Hollywood Life about what was to come between her and her mom on the upcoming episodes of the show, noting that while they were in a “great place” at the time, there would be some “trouble in paradise” between them.
“You’ll see it this year and it’s kind of one of my most – it’s not one of my proudest moments [from] the last four years of this show, honestly. So you’re going to see me make some serious mistakes and you’re going to see how I handle it,” she teased.
The RHOD airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
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