Real Housewives Address Armstrongs Suicide

-- The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills expressed shock and some measure of guilt over the suicide of cast member Taylor Armstrongs husband in the shows season premiere Monday night. Russell Armstrong hung himself Aug. 15, after filming for the shows second season was complete. Difficulties in the Armstrongs marriage were a storyline in Season 1 and cast members said Russell Armstrongs death came after a separation. I think a lot of us have some guilt about not seeing this coming, Kyle Richards said. For me its very hard to move forward because it is such a tragic situation and so many people have been left hurt by it. But as difficult as that is, life goes on. It has to. The cast gathered at Adrienne Maloofs home on Aug. 29 to film a short prologue addressing the suicide for the season premiere on the Bravo network. The ensuing episode and the remainder of the season are being edited by series producers, presumably to take some of the focus off the couples marital problems. Taylor Armstrong did not appear in the prologue, but was involved in one of the shows most contentious moments after telling the group at a dinner party that she and her husband were in therapy. Were working on things, Taylor Armstrong said. Were knee deep into so much psychotherapy that Im sick of myself. So its been really helpful for each of us to take a look at our own lives and what we brought into the relationship and how its affecting our time together. Ken Todd, husband of cast member Lisa Vanderpump, said he felt undergoing therapy was a sign of weakness, upsetting Taylor Armstrong, who called his comments rude. Russell Armstrong left no suicide note, but cast members speculated financial difficulties may have led to his suicide. They said Taylor Armstrong might not have been aware of the couples troubles. The Real Housewives series of shows thrives on gossip and internal strife among cast members and the Armstrongs marriage was a frequent topic. Cast members noted in the shows prologue that they often only heard one side of the story, with some regretting they didnt have his perspective on events. I think we were all told the same thing and we were only reacting to what weve been told, Camille Grammer said. And what we weve been doing I think we were all doing it was we were just trying to protect our friend. Copyright 2011 by Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.