'Vanderpump Rules' ' Lala Kent Says She Went to Bed 'with a Bottle Next to Me' After Dad's Death

The Bravo star celebrated one year of sobriety in October

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Published on November 18, 2019 12:50 PM

Lala Kent credits her sobriety for improving her life in more ways than one.

At a BravoCon panel in New York City over the weekend, the Vanderpump Rules star, 29, opened up about recently marking one year of sobriety, admitting that her drinking spiraled out of control after her father’s death.

“My world completely shattered in front of me,” she said of losing her dad. “I went back to filming two and a half weeks later. I went to bed with a bottle next to me and woke up with a bottle of warm champagne to chug next to me. It was my medicine.”

Kent said it took getting sober to fully “process” her dad’s death.

“When I decided I never wanted to live that way again, and I wanted to get sober, I got to process the death of my dad in the most beautiful way ever,” she said. “Yes, it was hard to do it on camera, but it was also amazing. [Fans] would reach out to me about [my] sobriety or about how [I] grieved. So the fact that I had that platform, I think, was truly a gift.”

The reality star’s father Kent Burningham died in April 2018 after a stroke and a car accident. Kent announced his death on Instagram at the time.

“Rest in paradise, my sweet dad,” she wrote. “The world seems to be spinning much slower. I’ve never felt so lost. I’ve never felt so sad. My world has crumbled.”

This past June, Kent posted an emotional message on Instagram in honor of Father’s Day.

“Last year was the first Father’s Day I didn’t have my dad,” she captioned a photo of herself facing a waterfall. “I sat and cried, watching this waterfall, trying to understand how this happened. How my life had changed forever, overnight. Today, I feel the same way.”

She continued: “Each moment that goes by without him I just think, damn, I haven’t seen his face in over a year… I haven’t hugged him, or heard his voice.”

“To say my heart is broken is an understatement,” she admitted. “I will go forward in my life finding comfort in knowing he is looking down on me, being my angel like he has always been.”

In March, Kent admitted that she was an alcoholic and said she was participating in Bill Wilson’s Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step program.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please contact the SAMHSA substance abuse helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.