Porsha Williams opened up about the contents of her new book, The Pursuit of Porsha: How I Grew Into My Power and Purpose, during a recent interview.
In addition to addressing a past abortion and her self-destructive patterns with men, the former Real Housewives of Atlanta star, who is set to star in her own spinoff series later this month, looked back at her time on RHOA, recounted her final encounter with R. Kelly, and revealed why she’s proud of the woman she’s become.
“Out of everything that I talked about in the book, that was an easy one,” Porsha said of her abortion reveal to Variety on November 22. “The shame and regret, and the hurt and the loss — all of that is the same feeling that a lot of women feel. Hopefully, another woman who is going through something like that, or has gone through something through like that, will be able to forgive themselves quicker than I did… I released myself from the shame.”
According to Porsha, she had an abortion after conceiving a child with former Washington Redskins (now the Washington Football Team) running back Clinton Portis, who told her he wanted to raise the child with his mom.
Another relationship Porsha looked back on was one with a past boyfriend, who Porsha recalled flipping a switch during what she thought would be a romantic getaway. As she recalled, the man called her “stupid,” cursed at her, and later attacked her.
“He’s going to rape me,” she wrote in her book.
While Porsha did her best to fight him off at first, she eventually gave in.
“In writing this book, I was so set on being 100% honest, 100% open, that it truly frustrated me not to be able to be more detailed than I was,” she explained. “But for legal reasons, I was advised not to.”
Another troubled relationship was what Porsha shared with R. Kelly, who is currently facing years behind bars for charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
“In my life at that moment, it was just yet another man in the same position doing the exact same thing taking advantage of me,” she confessed.
In addition to being sexually pressured by the R&B artist, Porsha said she once heard a woman being beaten in his home, which prompted her to leave his place and never return.
“When I got home from that last encounter, I knew I had hit a wall,” she explained. “And I was completely traumatized.”
While Porsha never returned to R. Kelly’s home, she did come face-to-face with him years later when he appeared as a guest on her “Dish Nation” show.
“What is so freaking crazy is that he literally tried to talk to me again!” she revealed. “And I thought to myself, ‘Oh my god. I went through one of the most traumatizing experiences in my life at your home with you, and you don’t remember me? This has happened that many times that you don’t remember that I’m that same person?’”
Moving on to her time on RHOA, which came to an end months ago, Porsha said the “sisterhood” between her and her castmates was the best part while “dealing with anger management” was the worst.
“I knew that I wanted to semi-retire at 40,” Porsha said of her decision to leave the show. “After I had my daughter — listen — I just knew she was my world. That’s it. I just want as much time with her as possible. And with me in the past dealing with mental health, I knew that I needed to be as healthy mentally as I could be. No drama, etc. Just in a happy peaceful place for my baby girl.”
That said, Porsha admitted she would “never say never” to a return.
Although fans won’t be seeing Porsha on the upcoming 14th season of RHOA, they’ll soon be seeing her entire family in a spinoff.
Following a 10-year run on RHOA, the final moments of which included Porsha’s parlay into activism, Porsha said she’s proud of the person she’s become.
“I’m actually proud of myself that I was able to grow in a positive way,” she shared. “I didn’t stay stagnant. I grew as an entrepreneur; I grew as a woman of substance. I truly found my voice, right on television. I found my way.”
While Porsha didn’t share any key details about her and fiancé Simon Guobadia‘s upcoming wedding, the outlet noted that the couple is planning to wed next summer.
Porsha’s Family Matters premieres on November 28 at 9/8c on Bravo, and her book, The Pursuit of Porsha: How I Grew Into My Power and Purpose, will be released on November 30.