After hiding her drinking problem for years, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Kim Richards finally realized she had to get help and entered rehab in early December.
Now Monty Brinson, Kim's ex-husband and still her best friend, talks to Life & Style about his former wife's decision to get help and says the 47-year-old mom of three is the happiest she's been in a while.
"Kim wasn't happy with her life," Monty tells the new issue of Life & Style, on newsstands Wednesday. "She wanted to seek help so she could get better for herself, her children and her family."
Monty says the decision came just after the suicide of Russell Armstrong, the then-estranged husband of Kim's Real Housewives castmate Taylor Armstrong. After Russell killed himself, "all the castmates realized just how precious life is," Monty tells Life & Style. "It was a wake-up call for Kim."
And Monty is convinced that this latest stint in rehab will work for Kim because this is the first time she's taking full responsibility for her actions and her addiction. Now halfway through her treatment, "Kim's the happiest she's been in a very long time," Monty shares. "She's ready to start a new life when she gets out."
For more on Kim Richards, pick up the new issue of Life & Style, on newsstands tomorrow!
