Shannon Beador Found It 'Refreshing' and 'Surprising' to See Which 'RHOC' Castmates Supported Her After 'Horrible' DUI Arrest

Shannon Beador 's 2023 DUI arrest made her see everybody's true colors.

The Real Housewives of Orange County star was taken into police custody after driving under the influence in the fall of last year. Despite learning from her mistakes and vowing to do better, Beador was stunned by the people in her cast who rallied around her during the difficult time — and those who went against her.

The reality star chats exclusively with OK! about how she's grown from the situation, her ongoing feud with former best friend Tamra Judge , her tight bond with Vicki Gunvalson and what she's learned from spending ten years on the Bravo series.

"I had a lot of reservations [about returning to RHOC ] because after my DUI, which was horrible, humiliating and the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life, I kept my circle very tight as I went through a program," Beador explains. "I continued to see my trauma therapist and psychiatrist, and my circle was extremely small, so I wasn't sure how I was going to be received. But it's actually refreshing and a little surprising who was supportive when I came back and who wasn't . There's more than one person. I'm so flipping grateful for this support that I never thought that I would get."

One of the people who was not in the mother-of-three's corner was her longtime pal Judge, who claimed during Season 18 that Beador was an "alcoholic" and needed to seek further help. "When I look back to other seasons, I really would defer to the friendship over the show ," she notes of her relationship with The Traitors alum. "Every season she's had an issue with me, whether it's something I did or something that I didn't do for her. A lot of it is exaggerated and I would brush it under the rug."

"I'm not doing that anymore. I have turned to professionals after my DUI. I would never take advice from Tamra, but she sure claims to know a lot about me," Beador adds.

Despite losing some people in her life, Gunvalson was right by the 60-year-old's side as she weathered the storm. "I get teary-eyed thinking about what an amazing friend Vicki has been to me from the day of my DUI, insisting that I come and live with her so she could take care of me because I had a lot of physical injuries," Beador says of the loyalty from the insurance broker.

Season 18 marks the blonde beauty's tenth season on the hit show, leaving her with many lessons learned in front of viewers and the entire world. "When you go through something difficult like infidelity, and then a divorce, and then the DUI, there is something therapeutic about putting it out there, taking responsibility for it and moving on," she reveals.

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"I'm grateful for being on the show and that I have home movies of my kids literally growing up on camera. As hard as it is sometimes, my advice would be to keep going," she continues. "Because in the end, being on this show is going to help you grow into a better person. I will work the rest of my life to be the best person I can be."

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.