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Sutton Stracke reportedly requested security amid filming on the 11th season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
As her co-star, Erika Jayne, was accused of helping her now-estranged husband, Thomas Girardi, embezzle settlement money from his former clients and of aiding him in hiding his assets, Sutton grew “frightened” and sought out protection.
“Sutton was afraid of Erika and the situation surrounding her,” a source close to production revealed to Hollywood Life on September 26. “So much [so] that she requested security during the remainder of filming of RHOBH.”
After learning that her RHOBH co-star was being accused of stealing money from family members of plane crash victims and believed to have used those funds to support her over-the-top lifestyle, Sutton voiced her concerns to her castmates before confronting Erika with questions, many of which were prompted by a Los Angeles Times article.
Even though Erika has maintained her innocence, claiming that Thomas did a lot behind her back, including cheating and purchasing a La Quinta home, Sutton has suggested her divorce filing was “risky.” She also told the other women of the show that she was “not buying” a lot of what Erika was saying.
Because of Sutton’s ongoing questioning, Erika was seen taking a stand against her during Kathy Hilton‘s dinner party. And, after Sutton brought up a number of topics discussed by the L.A. Times, Erika threatened her with a lawsuit. That said, Sutton didn’t hire security because she actually felt like Erika was going to come after her. Instead, as the insider explained, she simply wanted to feel as safe as possible amid production.
“The whole thing frightened her,” the source added.
While Sutton doesn’t have any regrets when it comes to the questions she asked of Erika, she said on last week’s RHOBH: After Show that she is sorry that her inquiries gave Erika “additional stress.”
“I am sorry that my bringing the girls together and doing all this gave her so much stress that she felt the need to attack me, and I noticed that, and I thought about that,” Sutton recalled. “I think on things a lot. I’m a very contemplative person. I seek out opinions from people I really highly respect. I thought, ‘I have really maybe put this woman in undue stress and I don’t want to live with that.’”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 11 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.