Sutton Stracke Reveals New Medical Scare After ‘RHOBH’ Reunion Collapse
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Part three of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion airs tonight, and promises even more drama than usual. The teasers show one 'wife—Sutton Stracke, who has starred on the series since 2020—experiencing a scary medical emergency on set.
After the incident, Sutton told Women's Health that she was rushed to the emergency room (with the help of castmate Garcelle Beauvais, who kept her company). She says the incident was even more terrifying off-camera.
"I got a little depressed [afterwards], because I never want to be put in that position again," she exclusively told Women's Health. "You don't want to ride to the hospital in an ambulance, even when you're with one of your best friends who's trying to keep you up and happy. It's just not what you want to do. The thought of doing that again—it's scary and it's life-changing."
Fans first caught wind of the incident in the reunion's trailer. Near the end of the teaser, former "friend" Kathy Hilton makes a surprise appearance on the sound stage, much to the shock of her former castmates. But, it all comes screeching to a halt when Sutton, 52, suddenly begins shaking.
As medical personnel tend to Sutton, host Andy Cohen can be heard repeatedly saying, “You’re shaking, you’re shaking.” Viewers can then see stars Dorit Kemsley and Erika Jayne looking concerned as it all unfolds.
Now, ahead of the dramatic reunion conclusion, Sutton is speaking out about what happened to her. Here’s everything you need to know, from her recovery to how her castmates really reacted.
What happened to Sutton during the reunion?
Sutton says that she started to feel off halfway through the reunion taping, according to People. “I kept asking Garcelle, ‘Is it hot in here?’ And it was freezing in that space. She was like, ‘No, it's not,’” Sutton recalled. “And I kept asking and asking, asking, and she was like, ‘It's not. Are you feeling okay?’ I was getting kind of quiet and withdrawn.”
Sutton ended up blacking out on the couch and falling backward,s while paramedics swarmed in to tend to her.
"My body went into a shock," she told ET. "I think my blood pressure was 175 over 120, and I couldn't stop my legs from shaking."
Now, although her castmates have come for Sutton's eating habits before, the Georgia native says that she'd eaten two meals that day and had not drank alcohol. “We are very serious when we do everything, and you have to be at your highest level of thinking,” she told Bravo's The Daily Dish. “Because let's face it, the questions are tough, and you have to be ready for what comes at you.”
Simply put: Sutton told People her body just “collapsed,” adding, “There was nothing I could do about it. It was wild.”
She was rushed to urgent care, and then to the emergency room.
After medical personnel tended to Sutton on set, she was taken to an urgent care facility, where she couldn’t stop throwing up, according to People.
After medical staff at urgent care checked her vitals, they decided to send her to the ER via an ambulance. Sutton said that her blood pressure “soared up” during the experience, but her castmate Garcelle didn't leave her side, even giving her updates from producers about what was still happening at the reunion.
"She sat in the room with me, and I kept falling asleep, and so she was really sweet to just sit there while I was asleep and then I would wake up and we would chat," she told WH. "She would give me what was going on at the reunion. [She's] the best friend."
And Garcelle isn't the only cast member who was there for Sutton—the Sutton Brands owner said that every member of RHOBH reached out to her the day after to make sure she was okay. The biggest surprise of all? Erika Jayne, whom Sutton formerly feuded with, now frequently corresponds with her.
"Hell hath frozen over," she said. "But she was really concerned for me, too. Things like this kind of change perspectives, I think."
She was diagnosed with exhaustion, dehydration, and bronchitis.
Doctors ran several tests on Sutton, including a chest X-ray and blood work. She was ultimately diagnosed with exhaustion and dehydration. On top of that, she'd been fighting bronchitis since the holiday season, she says. She thought she'd beaten it earlier, but her doctor later told her the disease had come back in full force.
"I was walking around with bronchitis—didn't really know it and didn't feel well—but I just kept going," she said. "I just kept going and going and going. And when you're sick and you keep pushing, you're just going to get sicker."
Prior to the reunion, Sutton said she'd been traveling for about three weeks to New York and Las Vegas, for a series of conferences and a Watch What Happens Live taping. The experience, she said, caused her to become wiped out.
The medical incident had nothing to do with her narrow esophagus.
Sutton has spoken on the show about having an esophagus disorder, which she says makes it uncomfortable to eat certain foods. She even got into a fight with castmate Annemarie Wiley over her "narrow esophagus," a diagnosis that Annemarie, who works as a certified registered nurse anesthetist, was suspicious of. (She has since apologized for questioning the diagnosis.) "My esophagus disorder is not something to be made fun of," Sutton said on the show. "I can't eat certain foods. I've been down for four days not able to swallow my own saliva."
But Sutton has revealed that her medical emergency had nothing to do with the disorder. “My esophagus is fine,” she told People.
And Kathy Hilton wasn't to blame.
While the trailer makes it seem like Kathy Hilton’s appearance at the reunion show was behind Sutton’s shocked reaction, Sutton has confirmed that’s not the case.
“It had nothing to do with Kathy," she told The Daily Dish. "I wasn't scared of Kathy—we're friends.”
The experience caused her to rethink her health.
After the reunion, Sutton took 10 days off to rest, and was treated with antibiotics and a steroid shot. But, she still didn't feel 100%, so she returned to her doctor for another round of steroids, which finally had her feeling better.
But, the incident sparked her to pay closer attention to her health. After being referred to an ears, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor and undergoing a nasal endoscopy, Sutton found out that she has nodules on her vocal cords, which she's now treating with the help of a vocal coach in the hopes of preventing surgery.
She's also scheduled her first-ever colonoscopy this fall, and will be catching up on her breast exams with her ob-gyn.
"I hate going to doctors. I used to avoid the doctor like the plague, but not anymore," she said. "I think it's so important for us to remember to see the doctors we trust and tell our doctors all of our information. Because the longer you let things go, the worse they become."
In addition to seeing her doctors more frequently, Sutton has also started drinking more water, instituted an early bedtime, and has a regular fitness schedule of tennis and Pilates.
"You have to have this balance," she said. "I was like a crash test dummy, and my body crashed."
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