Jessi Ngatikaura shared her secrets, but it's made her life harder.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star confessed to her husband Jordan Ngatikaura that she had a brief emotional affair with Vanderpump Villa star Marciano Brunette on the recent third season of the Hulu series, and now she's opening up about the response to her brutal honesty.
"Since the show has come out, it’s been hard," Jessi said in a video posted to TikTok Nov. 20. "I’ve had a lot going on with press and stuff with the show. I’ve had to keep a happy face on. I’ve been prepared for the show to come out, so has Jordan, but it’s still hard. We knew we were going to be faced with criticism and opinions."
While she addressed her critics, the 33-year-old also made sure to thank those who have defended her online.
"I do want to say thank you to anyone who has sent love and support. I’ve gotten so much of it," she said. "Even if I can’t respond to everything, I want you to know I see it and I appreciate it. Same goes for Jordan."
Jessi went on to say that she and Jordan "decided to be honest" about the struggles they'd been facing in their marriage because they thought it would be "the best way" through it, but it's proven to be more difficult than she expected.
"It’s really hard to go through that in your marriage publicly," Jessi explained. "I know that I did choose to tell the story, and I do stand behind what I said. It’s been really hard, but it’s something we’re trying to work on. We’re trying to put our best foot forward and try to get through it."
The JZ Styles founder also opened up about her marriage on the show this season "in hopes that someone who’s been through something similar can relate," which did end up happening.
"I’ve gotten many supportive messages," she noted. "That’s why we chose to share it, but it’s been so embarrassing and it’s been hard to have everything put out there. I do have to say, I have so much more sympathy for anyone on my show who’s gotten hate or dealt with something hard."
While the MomTok member acknowledged that some viewers think that Jordan is a "d--k" for how he acted on the show, she expressed hope that the audience could refrain from going out of their way to send him mean messages.
"Best we can do is take accountability and change, but that doesn’t mean I want anybody to send him hate,” Jessi explained. "I understand people have opinions, but this is our real lives. I’m not gonna lie, I feel a little bit helpless right now. It’s jarring to have your real life put out there right now. I know I did it and I chose to share it, but it is hard."
The TikToker ended her video by announcing that she's going to step away from posting for the time being as the dust settles around season three of Mormon Wives.
"I am going to take a little break from social media for the next little bit," Jessi revealed. "I did want to say thank you for the support from those who’ve done that."
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