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Jennifer Pedranti took aim at Vicki Gunvalson‘s relationship with boyfriend Michael Smith during an interview on Tuesday.
While also reacting to the support she received from Shannon Beador, 62, and Emily Simpson, 50, after Vicki, 64, described her as “low-hanging fruit” on a recent episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County, Jennifer said Vicki and Michael’s romance made her sad, as she admitted to thinking that Vicki wanted to be engaged more than she led on.
“One thing I know about Vicki is she’s a girl, and she has feelings, and you love your man,” Jennifer explained to Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea on September 15. “Any girl would be like, ‘He’s sitting on the ring, why do I not have it?’”
According to Jennifer, she was “surprised” to hear that Michael had bought Vicki an engagement ring but was waiting to give it to her until she could be a “good girl” for 90 days straight — even though Vicki insisted it was a joke.
“[It] can’t feel good … It makes me sad for her,” Jennifer said, adding that the dynamic would make her so “frustrated” that she would stop trying to “perform.”
“That’s got to be hard for Vicki,” she continued.
Jennifer, who is set to marry fiancé Ryan Boyajian next spring, also said she found it “interesting” that while they are supposed to be opening up their lives on RHOC, Vicki hides certain things from the cameras.
“Vicki will tell you right off, ‘I’m not talking about this, I’m not talking about this, I don’t want to talk about this.’ So, if it comes up, she gets frustrated,” Jennifer shared.
That said, and as much as they’ve butted heads, Jennifer admitted there was a “nurturing” side to Vicki.
“It’s so funny with Vicki,” she said. “On one hand, she can say the craziest, rudest things, but on the other hand, you love her.”
During another interview with Decider, Jennifer revealed why she thought Vicki had gone after her amid season 20.
“I think she views me as probably a little bit soft and kind, and I’m not this super-successful, money-driven businesswoman. So I think, in Vicki’s opinion of me, I think when she said it, I think she probably meant it. And I’ll be honest. It hurts,” she noted.
Then, looking back at Vicki’s “low-hanging fruit” diss, which came amid a cast trip to Vicki’s home in La Quinta, California, Jennifer said she was thankful that Shannon and Emily had her back.
“I was looking forward to that time. And so when she said it, it was a moment of pause for me. Like, do I say something — how rude this is? Do I let this go? We just got to her house. I’m staying the night here. So I let it go,” she recalled. “For Shannon and Emily be like, ‘No, Jenn’s our friend; why do you call Jenn that?’ It was like … it meant a lot to me.”
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The Real Housewives of Orange County season 20 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on Bravo.