'RHOA' : Drew Sidora Reveals She Left Home After Discovering Husband Ralph Got 'Close' with His Assistant

"Finding out my husband was getting close with his assistant was really hard for me ... I packed up my kids and we went to Chicago," Drew Sidora said in The Real Housewives of Atlanta premiere

By

Published on May 1, 2022 09:00 PM

Trending Videos

Drew Sidora is getting real about her marriage to husband Ralph Pittman.

On Sunday's The Real Housewives of Atlanta season 14 premiere, the Step Up actress, 37, opened up about a suspicious text message she found on Ralph's phone that led her to "pack up the kids" and go to Chicago.

"Ralph and I have been through a lot," Drew told cameras. "We're still trying to work through Tampa. And there's new problems. But as long as he continues to show up in marriage counseling and want to make it better, I'm willing to stay committed."

Opening up to newcomer and Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross, Drew revealed exactly what that text message said.

"I found messages in his phone that were saying, 'Oh I can come give you a massage,'" said Drew, referring to Ralph's new female assistant. "Like if she is doing business, where does her giving you a massage come in?"

"Finding out my husband was getting close with his assistant was really hard for me," she admitted. "I packed up my kids and we went to Chicago. I literally ran away from home."

Drew is mom to son Josiah, 10, from a previous relationship, and shares son Machai David, 6, and daughter Aniya, 4, with Ralph.

Later speaking with Kandi Burruss, Drew revealed she still sees the assistant's name "pop up from time to time."

When Ralph walked in, Kandi asked him, "What was your reply?" to the text message the assistant had previously sent. Stepping in, Drew said his reply was, "I'm a guy lol." And the assistant's response? "Well now I know for next time."

"Oh hell no," said Kandi. "I'm a guy means, 'If you come over here, it ain't going to be just a massage.' That's what that means. We all know how this goes. Let's be real. That's letting you know, 'If you ever decide, that's how it's going to be.' "

Real Housewives of Atlanta — Drew Sidora. Bravo Media

Brushing it off, the topic was then brought up for the third time at new housewife Marlo Hampton's fashion event for her company, Le'Archive.

Speaking with Kandi and Kenya Moore, Drew found out that Ralph's assistant posted a cryptic message that seemingly referred to the situation.

"He supposedly fired her and they were supposed to have no communication, but he's actually telling her some of our business," Drew told cameras. "It's complete betrayal."

"You need to step in and go, 'This is what's going to make me comfortable. This is what needs to happen,'" said Kenya.

Last season, the pair had their first session with their new couple's counselor, Love McPherson, which came after Ralph told Drew on the Dec. 20 episode that he was "definitely down with counseling."

"Ralph and I have tried couple's counseling a time or two or three or a dozen, I've lost track. But after our huge blowup on our anniversary, which was probably the biggest argument we've ever had in our marriage, we know we have serious problems that we really need to commit to working out and fixing — quickly," she said to cameras at the time, noting that their six-year anniversary dinner two weeks prior ended with Drew in tears.

As for transparency in her marriage, Drew told Love that she would like to know "if you're going somewhere, you know, being able to just share and say, 'Hey, I'm going to the store, I'm going to work out. I'm going to Tampa,'" she continued, referencing Ralph's multi-day trip to Florida, which he didn't tell Drew about in advance. "Just allowing me to know what you're doing, where your mind is."

Since the current season of RHOA premiered, Drew has been open about the state of her marriage, previously admitting: "We've got to get our act together for the sake of our kids and for our marriage if we want this thing to last."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Speaking with PEOPLE about the new season of RHOA, Kandi said season 14 has a different feel for her after a casting shake-up.

"It's fresh," Burruss, 45, told PEOPLE exclusively ahead of the premiere. "Now, we got new blood on the show. Everybody is just different."

After the departures of Porsha Williams and Cynthia Bailey, the show will welcome Richards-Ross. But she won't be the only new face holding a peach.

RELATED VIDEO: Kandi Burruss Says Season 14 of RHOA 'Brings So Many Answers' to Years Long Questions

Hampton, a friend of the show since season 4, has been upgraded to full-time cast member. On-again, off-again housewife Shereé Whitfield will also return to the series. Drew Sidora and Kenya Moore will help round out the RHOA cast.

"Even though Shereé has been there before, it's like she came back with a whole new vibe," explained Burruss. "With Sanya, she just is just fresh energy."

The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.