Everything To Know About Noella Bergener, 'RHOC' Star And Former Model
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Season 16 of The Real Housewives of Orange County is getting juicier by the minute. The drama is next level and the O.C. is heating up with the addition of two brand new housewives: Dr. Jen Armstrong and Noella Bergener.
Combine those two new faces with the return of RHOC star Heather Dubrow, and you have a recipe for one truly tumultuous season. The new episodes just keep coming (with a reunion like no other just around the corner).
Jen is a prominent aesthetic MD with a flourishing practice—but Noella's background is more of a mystery. So, who is she? Here's everything to know about Noella, from her modeling career to where she is now that filming has ended:
Noella was born and raised in California.
A "true California girl," Noella shared with Bravo that "Orange County... they've not seen somebody like me before. I am a biracial, liberal, bisexual, bilingual woman who's very proud and very outspoken."
Noella got her start modeling on the runway.
"Once a model, always a model," 36-year-old Noella told Bravo. She got her start on the runway, walking in shows for Chanel and other couture brands:
Noella went on to pose for plenty of magazine covers—her first cover shoot was for Flirt back in 2000, she revealed on Instagram.
She's a mom of two.
Now, between being the first Black housewife on RHOC and raising her two kids, Noella has her hands full. She's a mom to Coco, 7, and James Jr., 2, plus pup RiRi.
On the show, Noella has been open about her life as a single mom and her son's autism diagnosis. "The word autism just feels like cancer in many ways when you're a parent. It's just such a big word and it can overwhelm you," she explained to People.
"My own personal struggle was my lack of education. I did think it was a death sentence. I was mourning the loss of the life that I thought that my barely 2-year-old son was going to have," she said.
"The fact that he knows his numbers and letters and he's so bright, and he's signing and he has such great interest and such a great vocabulary, even though he's nonverbal," Noella added. "In the last couple months, I've had to become fluent in him and it's been a beautiful journey."
Noella's divorce has been a major plotline this season.
Noella married personal injury lawyer "Sweet James" Bergener in June 2020, per Us Weekly. The pair split one year later due to "irreconcilable differences"—and the fallout is a central plot line on RHOC.
Viewers know Noella has been open about how her marriage ended: with James moving to their Puerto Rico vacation home, sending divorce papers overseas, and news breaking of his almost $6 million worth of tax debt.
As of January 5, "he still has not finalized our agreement," Noella told Andy Cohen on an episode of Watch What Happens Live. "I still have no idea why he left," she said. "He still hasn't given me an explanation. He still says he loves me, so that's been confusing to me."
"But on my part, I understand now that I really lost myself, and I stopped my self-love and my self-care some time ago. So I'm working through building that up. But yeah, if I was the woman I am today, I probably would not have stayed in this marriage as long as I did."
Currently, Noella is "squatting" in her 10,000-square-foot home, she shared with Us Weekly. (James claims the mansion was only leased for the duration of RHOC filming.)
And, she was a Bravo superfan before being cast on the show.
Actually, superfan might be an understatement. "I watched every single episode of every single season of almost every single franchise. I love Bravo. I love the show. I'm not ashamed to admit that," she told Entertainment Tonight.
Plus, her Bravo ties run deep. Noella is also friends with RHOC alums Vicki Gunvalson and Braunwyn Windham-Burke. "So the truth is, Vicki actually did [James'] insurance," she said. "Somebody from casting reached out to me for the show, and I squealed and said to my mom, 'This is amazing.' I told my husband, and he would talk to Vicki about it, and [Vicki's then-fiancé, Steve Lodge], and we traveled with them often. So this was something that he was very aware of."
"We did our due diligence, we knew other couples, we were good friends with Braunwyn and [her husband] Sean," Noella added.
Now, Noella is focusing on the future.
Noella has her sights set on what's next—and, she's dating again. "There’s somebody that I have known for years. He knew me married and knew my husband. That’s not weird at all, but we just have a lot of love and respect for each other," she told Us Weekly on the Getting Real with the Housewives podcast.
"He was one of those that just constantly checked in on me. Like, the moment James left, just like, 'How are you? Did you need anything? Do the kids need anything?' Like, one of those."
The pair have been together since December 2021. "It’s just slow. It’s very, very fresh. So, who knows. At the end of the day, I have an amazing friend, but right now, we’re friends who kiss," she added.
Watch Noella's story unfold on The Real Housewives of Orange County Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. EST on Bravo.
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