Mia Thornton revealed that she was a victim of sexual assault on Sunday's episode of The Real Housewives Of Potomac on Bravo.
The 39-year-old reality star opened up during the season eight episode titled Hard Conversations during an event hosted by Karen Huger, 60, to support the nonprofit group PAVE that works to prevent sexual assault and help survivors.
The women listened to survivor Ella as she played guitar and performed a song titled Favorite Doll and were shown talking about their own experience in confessionals.
'I had an experience when I was a teenager. I was unable to give consent. At the time, I didn't really realize what ...the severity of what had happened,' Robyn Dixon, 44, said in a confessional.
'I didn't even realize that what had happened to me was what it was until, like, years later,' Candiace Dillard Bassett, 37, also told the camera.
'It's very triggering for me because of my own experiences that I had at the hands of a family member, and the saddest thing is to know that it's happening now. It's so prevalent. It is heartbreaking,' Ashley Darby, 35, said in a confessional.
Mia sat next to Karen during the event and held onto her as Ella performed.
'At the end of the day, we have a lot in common. It does not surprise me that in this very, very room, we have women who have been sexually assaulted, and thank God they feel safe enough to share their truth,' Karen said in a confessional.
Mia wiped away tears at the table and then stood up and walked to the bathroom sniffling while Ella was still performing.
'Oh, Mia, you can do it. You can do it. You got this. You got this,' Mia said to herself in the bathroom as Ashley got up and went to check on her.
'Mia?,' Ashley asked.
'I'm okay. I'm okay,' Mia told her.
Ashley stayed with her as Mia said that she 'just needed a second'.
'I'm sorry,' Ashley said as she hugged Mia.
'I'll be fine,' Mia said.
'I didn't know...that something happened to you?,' Ashley said.
'Yeah, it's something that I battle with a lot,' Mia said. 'I almost didn't come.'
'Really?,' Ashley asked.
'Yes, yeah. This whole what we're doing, is triggering. It's my coping mechanism to get the f*** out when s*** is uncomfortable. You know what I mean?,' Mia said.
'Yes,' Ashley said.
'And unfortunately, that day, I couldn't get out, you know? And it's just like, Mia, why didn't you just leave? Why didn't you just, like just why did you put yourself in that situation,' Mia said tearfully.
'And you know what's f***ed up, is that I know this is why I take s*** out on Jacqueline, because she left me there,' Mia said referencing her longtime friend Jacqueline Blake.
'Jacqueline left you there when it happened?,' Ashley asked.
'And I know I'm a f***ed up friend to her because of it, and it's not fair to her. She didn't know that was gonna happen to me. She trusted her boyfriend, she trusted him. You know, I get it. And when she came back the next day, she was so scared. She's like, ''Mia, what happened to you?'',' Mia said crying.
In a confessional, Mia said that because Jacqueline left her that she's wanted to forgive her, but has struggled with it.
'When I look back, I probably have always been a little meaner to her because of it,' Mia said. 'And that doesn't make it right. It's just an emotional thing that I think a lot of people do. We don't even realize it until we look back and see it.'
Ashley thanked Mia for sharing.
'Girl, of course. We're gonna be okay,' Mia said as they hugged again.
Mia later rejoined the luncheon and Candiace asked what happened.
'No, I'm fine. I just needed a moment,' Mia said.
Gizelle spoke with PAVE founder Angela Rose about her daughter Grace who was moving away soon to go to college and asked if she should walk to class by herself.
'Isn't that terrible that we even have to think about these things, right?,' Angela said.
She advised Gizelle to tell her daughter to honor her gut instincts if she feels something is wrong.
Gizelle also gave Karen credit for standing behind PAVE and championing the group.
'The PAVE event was very successful. In fact, much more successful than I thought it would be because I was able to provide a safe place for my friends. And then to sound the horn and the alarm, that was very important. So, this was a huge success,' Karen said in a confessional.
The episode also featured Mia and her husband Gordon taking a cooking class with Robyn and her husband Juan Dixon.
Gizelle also took her daughter Grace to a self-defense class as she prepared to send her off to college.
The Real Housewives Of Potomac will return next week on Bravo.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
