Real Housewives of Orange County‘s Emily Simpson opened up about the positive and negative feedback she’s received for discussing 10-year-old Luke‘s food struggles.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Emily made it clear that she played no role in her son’s ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) diagnosis.
According to Emily:
“I have to say, I’ve had some people say negative things about the eating disorder, and they’ll make a correlation between me having surgery or me losing weight.”
“This has nothing to do with a child wanting to lose weight or having a body image. This is a neurodivergent disorder that has to do with his brain and how he operates.”
She made it clear that ARFID has “nothing to do with me and losing weight or gaining weight.”
“A school counselor told me this,” Emily recalled. “She said, ‘Emily, you know, it’s not always good to just put a label on something.’”
“I want a label so that I can tell people, ‘He has this, this and this.’ At the end of the day, I don’t know if that’s the best thing. He is what he is, and he is very complicated.”
The positives of publicity:
“My reason for continuing on and navigating this truly challenging time (in real time and on camera) was because I knew l’d get more answers, support and feedback than any therapist or doctor could provide,” Emily said.
“The Bravo fans are incredible and caring people, and I wasn’t wrong.
