Nobody has questioned Stacey Rusch’s love life on The Real Housewives of Potomac more than Ashley Darby. Looking back, Stacey had a few things to get off her chest on the matter.
As viewers have seen so far on Season 10, Ashley expressed skepticism over everything from Stacey’s denial that she paid her ex-boyfriend Thomas Anthony “TJ” Jones for his RHOP appearances to whether or not she and Thiemo Rusch were ever actually divorced prior to their reconciliation.
So, by the time Ashley confronted Stacey about her relationship with Chris Samuels, aka Monique Samuels’ ex-husband, during Episode 5, she had all but anticipated the line of questioning.
RELATED:Â Stacey Rusch Speaks Out on Her Relationship With Monique’s Ex-Husband: “I Adore Chris Samuels”
“Ashley’s gonna be Ashley, so I expect her to be consistent — and that, she is,” Stacey explained in an exclusive interview with The Daily Dish. “I don’t know what it is with her. I would think that she is busy. I don’t understand why she has so much time to invest in my life… when I’m not really invested in hers, in that way.”
She continued, “I’m interested in a genuine friendship, and it seems like Ashley is interested in being a detective.”
Stacey Rusch reacts to Ashley Darby questioning her divorce from Thiemo Rusch
When it comes to Ashley giving her the third degree about getting back together with Thiemo, Stacey further insisted that her on-camera explanations still have not changed.
“There isn’t anything to clear up because, as I told her, I was divorced in December, and that is the truth,” Stacey added. “I can’t concern myself with what Ashley needs to know about my life. But I’m speaking my truth. I am, in fact, divorced, and I’ve maintained that from the get-go.”
RELATED:Â Ashley Darby Opens Up About Her “Complicated” Friendship with Stacey Rusch (EXCLUSIVE)
Indeed, Stacey claimed on the show that she and Thiemo received a notification that they were “officially divorced” during a family Christmas vacation to Mexico with their 9-year-old daughter, Arabella. Because Ashley could not locate any public records that verified their divorce had been filed, however, she doubted that was true. So, at Ashley’s request, Stacey showed her divorce documents during Episode 2, to put the speculation to rest.
Ultimately, Stacey struggled to understand why Ashley seemed so determined to disprove her relationship-related claims.
“I can’t speak for Ashley regarding why she didn’t just ask me as a friend, instead of automatically assuming the worst and accusing me of being a liar,” she concluded.Â
How Stacey Rusch responded to Ashley Darby bringing up Chris Samuels dating rumors on RHOP
As mentioned, during RHOP‘s Episode 5 cast dinner in Nevis, Ashley called out Stacey for digging into Gizelle Bryant’s new romance with NFL vet Shawn Springs, bringing up, instead, that she’d allegedly asked a mutual friend “who works with a lot of athletes” to help her “get close to” Chris.
“I adore Chris Samuels,” Stacey responded. “He is a great man, a great father. We are good friends.”
Unsatisfied with her answer, Ashley continued to press Stacey on how exactly her and Chris’ friendship began.
“Both of us, having gone through a divorce, we have a lot of friends in common,” Stacey revealed. “And that’s what it is.”
Still, Ashley claimed that “Chris is telling people, too,” and after they returned to their resort, she further accused Stacey of “lying” in her characterization of the relationship.
“Y’all want me to be somebody else so bad, and you just can’t accept who I am,” Stacey clapped back. “It’s unbelievable.”
As the two navigate their ups and downs, don’t miss what Ashley exclusively spilled about her and Stacey’s “complicated” friendship.
