Of all the things that one might say about Real Housewives of Potomac star Mia Thornton, one thing you can’t say about the businesswoman, wife and mother, is that she’s not a good time. In just a few minutes of chatting with her during an RHOP junket as she prepares for the new season of the show, I found myself laughing with her like we were old friends.
But we did get serious about some things. She’s dealt with a lot, including a cancer scare in February, and the rollercoaster ride it’s been trying to have a relationship with her biological mom, who placed her in foster care when she was young and has struggled with substance abuse. Those things, and more, Thornton has been transparent about because, as she shared, she doesn’t do regrets. But those experiences don’t keep her from being able to keep a smile on her face and a good sense of humor, even when asked about the “tea” on all the drama and drink throwing RHOP viewers witnessed in the explosive trailer for Season 7: “There’s no tea but there’s a martini!” she says, laughing. “I’m just saying, whew. It’s a lot going on.” We caught up with the colorful Housewife ahead of the Season 7 premiere on Sunday, October 9 (8/7c), and she dished on her health, her family, the key to her joyful demeanor, and why she’s just fine with not being everyone’s cup of tea (or better yet, glass of a martini).
ESSENCE: First and foremost, how are you doing? I know there was a health scare earlier this year. How are you feeling?
Mia Thornton: Thank you for asking! I am doing ok. I’m good. I’m much better. I’m out of it. Having to talk about it now, sometimes makes me feel not so ok just because it was the hardest time of my life and I’ve been through a lot, so you can only imagine. It was also a trying time for our marriage. My husband [Gordon] was very scared and worried. He took longer to get back to our regular routine of actually being fun and charismatic because G is a good time. He likes to cut up and let loose. But he took a while to get back to that just because of the stress of not knowing what was going on with me. But I do feel better. Thank you for asking. God is good, that’s all I’ve got to say.
You’re getting ready for your second RHOP season. Your first one had its ups and downs, particularly with the girls. Is there anything in retrospect that you think you could have done differently? Or are you team no regrets?
Team no regrets! No! I’m just Mia. I’m myself. I say exactly what I think and I think a lot of times, I just say what people want to say but don’t have the courage to. It gets misconstrued as something else, but that’s ok. If you want to deny how you felt, that’s on you [laughs].
With that in mind, what’s the biggest misconception people have about you?
Oh gosh…we might need more time [laughs]. The biggest one would probably be this idea of me being a liar. It’s gone so left field. Thank God I have such a phenomenal team of business partners and investors I’ve been working with for over a decade, because they were like, ok, first, you can’t count? [laughs] But you’re handling our investment accounts. Thank God for a calculator and an accountant. I have resources! I may not be the smartest of the bunch but consistency has gotten me where I am today. And I don’t like to be portrayed as a liar. But hey, it’s all good. It is what it is and people are entitled to their opinions. Some people have to love me and some people have to hate me. It’s called balance. Love me or hate me but at the end of the day I’m me. I sleep easy.
Are we going to get to see more of you building a relationship with your mom?
So you do get to see mom, but only a little bit. I’m in this space of protecting my mom as much as I can but also being transparent in how our relationship makes me feel. You get to see some of that but I do talk about it a lot with the girls and with my husband. My mom is the reason why I’m here and I love her and I respect her for that. But our relationship is challenging. Right now I’m very protective over my mental space of dealing with her so I try not to tap into her so much. But as the years progress and I become stronger and more secure in my own motherhood, and break that generational chain, I do want to get to know her more.
What’s the key to being unapologetic? You are always very open. What’s the key to being confident in that?
Just loving yourself and just not caring. Be who you are as long as you’re not hurting anybody. Just be free. Who cares? If it’s legal, go for it. And I think that if more people were to get to that space, it’s liberating. I don’t care what people think but I do also understand that I’m beautifully flawed and if I don’t become transparent I will never be able to improve. I have to embrace my crazy flaws and everything I was insecure about so I can continue to flourish. I would love for other people to get to that space. The world would be a better place.
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