‘RHOC’s Noella Says Her Ex Wants To ‘Torture’ Her By Dragging Out Their Divorce
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Noella Bergener is brand new to the cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County.
This season, the ladies were shocked when Noella revealed that she and her husband, "Sweet James" Bergener, were getting a divorce.
Here's everything to know about James (and why the pair are splitting in the first place).
The Real Housewives of Orange County started season 16 off with a bang, as RHOC alum Heather Dubrow returned after a five-year hiatus. And, two brand new ladies joined her: Dr. Jen Armstrong and Noella Bergener.
For the first few episodes, both of the newcomers seemed to fit in pretty well. And, they also seemed pretty low on drama—until Noella broke the news that she and her husband, James, were splitting.
The other housewives were, understandably, shocked. But since James hasn't appeared on the show, there are a lot of questions that need answers. Who is James, and why are the pair divorcing? Here's everything there is to know about Noella and James right now:
James is a prominent personal injury lawyer.
James is also known as "Sweet James," Noella explains at the beginning of the season. He's "an ex-Mormon from Utah" and a founding partner of Sweet James law firm. He works in Newport Beach, California, as a personal injury lawyer.
"Mr. Bergener is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States," the firm's website reads. And, as Noella shares with the group, his nickname is "Sweet James" because he has a reputation for making genuine connections with the people he represents in court.
Noella and James have only been married for a year.
The two got married in June 2020, according to Us Weekly. They also both filed for divorce separately back in August. Noella stated in court documents that "irreconcilable differences" were the reason behind the split.
Noella is requesting full custody of their two-year-old son, James Jr., adding that she only wants James to have visitation rights, per Us Weekly. She also requested that James pay monthly spousal support and asked the court to protect her from paying James anything.
On the show, Noella revealed that financial problems caused tension in her marriage.
In a conversation with co-star Shannon Beador, Noella says that she and James were experiencing financial issues around a house they own in Puerto Rico.
"Unfortunately, there were some financial things that were not disclosed to me from my husband and it's associated with this house, so I cannot wait to just be done with it," she says, per People. "It's a big stressor, not only for me, but for our marriage right now. It's just difficult to not have that trust."
She also reveals that James has tax debts totaling in the millions. "I was in shock when I found out about my husband's tax debts," she says on RHOC. "Initially, it was one lien for $4 million. Ten days later I found out that it was two liens and closer to $6 million."
Later, Noella tells co-star Gina Kirschenheiter that she thought selling the Puerto Rico home might help James cover his debts. "He was actually fighting me on that and now, a complete breakdown in communication," she says. "The hard thing is he is my best friend."
"I want to get it through to him like, 'I'm not fighting against you. Let's just come up with the plan together.' Right now we're not in a good space," she adds.
After James filed for divorce, he went off the grid.
Later, Noella was completely blindsided when the divorce papers from James arrived. On a phone call with Shannon, she shares that she didn't even know where her husband was. "His wardrobe's here. His stuff is here. His cars are here. His life is here. He shut off the credit cards," she says.
"It's a weird time in my life," Noella summarizes in one episode.
Now, Noella says James is trying to 'torture' her by dragging out the divorce.
The RHOC star is speaking out about her long, difficult divorce. “There’s a lot in divorce that’s about control and micro-managing and kind of wanting to torture the ex,” she shared with Page Six. “There’s a little bit of that at play going on here.”
But, she's hopeful that James will find “a happy place where he doesn’t feel like he needs to look at the past and think about controlling me.”
As for where the divorce stands now, Noella said “it’s very frustrating.” She added that James is now asking for more custody of their son. “A man who lives in Puerto Rico is asking for 50/50 custody of our 2-year-old son who he’s not seen for six months and who requires . . . hours of therapy for his autism,” she explained. “We go one step forward and 10 steps backwards.”
“I’m not embarrassed to talk about my divorce," Noella clarified. "I’m not embarrassed to talk about our issues because I’ve done nothing wrong and most women in this position should not be feeling that shame or embarrassment.”
Stay tuned for more details as season 16 of The Real Housewives of Orange County continues on Bravo.
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