“Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Bronwyn Newport has shared throughout season 6 that she hoped her 19-year-old daughter, Gwen, would remain living at home with her for as long as possible post-graduation. She even allowed Gwen’s boyfriend to move in with them in order to get her to stay.
“What if Gwen moves out, and I have all of this time and space and freedom to go do something fabulous with my life, and I don’t make something fabulous out of my life?” Bronwyn admitted to her castmates during the second episode of the season, “I don’t know who I am if I’m not Gwen’s mom.”
But now that Gwen is planning to move out, Bronwyn is opening up about why this milestone is such an emotional one for her.
Gwen Sets Her Sights on Portland
During “RHOSLC” season 6, episode 11, Bronwyn organized a bonsai tree outing for her, Gwen, and her mom, Margie, aka Muzzy. The subject of Gwen moving out of Bronwyn and her husband Todd Bradley‘s home arose when she brought up wanting to find a companion for her pet chameleon in Portland.
“I just think it’s a cool place,” Gwen explained. “Like, you told me you didn’t want to go to BYU, and you wish you could’ve gone to New York and done the things you wanted to do and, like, have a new experience. I have to have a new experience. I have to figure it out for myself. You can’t just stay in the same spot.”
“I really have never been alone,” Bronwyn bravely admitted to a producer during one of her confessionals. “I literally went from my parents’ house to a very short stint at college and then Gwen. … But Gwen’s just more excited about spreading her wings in that way than I am.”
Gwen questioned why her wanting to “experience new things” hurt her mom’s feelings, which prompted Bronwyn to share more with her and Muzzy.
“She thinks all the best days of her life are still ahead of her, and these were the best days of my life… her being with me,” Bronwyn told Muzzy in front of Gwen. “I want her to go do all the things she wants to do and try all the things she wants to. But I do feel like I’m being left behind.”
Muzzy Makes Her Own Plans
After her parents had gone through some health challenges, Bronwyn and Todd had moved them into their home.
“She [Muzzy] had emergency surgery and is going to be fine and recover,” Bronwyn updated fans earlier in season 6. “My dad needs round-the-clock 24-hour care, so we moved him into memory care, but my mom stayed with me and is maybe staying indefinitely.”
Following Gwen’s news, Bronwyn told her mom that she would have to stay with her “forever,” but Muzzy revealed that she would soon be trying to find her own home soon, too.
“I’m not ready to peace out on you guys, because I need some time, but I need to have my own space,” Muzzy said, prompting Bronwyn to joke that she can “get rid of” Todd if he did something to upset her.
“Honestly, I know you’re laughing, but it’s really uncool that the two of you have planned this at the same time and to… desert me,” Bronwyn continued.
Gwen responded, “no one said that they hate you,” and Muzzy added, “I don’t want to leave either.”
“I have really put so much into showing up for my mom when she was sick, showing up for her when she needed help with my dad. And I feel like we’ve just gotten to a good place and kind of settled into a routine, and we can be giggly. We’re having these nice moments. I just kind of feel like the progress that we’ve just made is, like, slipping through my fingers if she moves out,” Bronwyn concluded during a confessional.
Prior to the season 6 premiere, Bronwyn shared a touching sentiment about her parents on her Instagram.
“Tonight you’ll meet my mom as we talk about my dad’s battle with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Watching this back is painful, especially since he passed shortly after filming. You’ll see a bit more of him and my mom in upcoming episodes, and while it’s tender for me, I know having the footage of him will be something I cherish forever. To everyone who has faced, or will face, this journey, my heart is with you,” she wrote in the caption of the post.
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Bronwyn Newport Tearfully Opens up About Her Family Ahead of Major Life Changes