'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Husband Commits Suicide

Russell Armstrong found dead in his apartment

Photo from: okmagazine.com 

If you have never watched 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills", do not fear! This post is not going to be focused on the programme itself but, more on the significance of this tragic story.

Russell Armstrong, the estranged husband of Taylor Armstrong was found dead in his apartment on Monday. He had hanged himself. There were no traces of alcohol or drugs in his body which shows that he was not under any influence when taking his own life. Friends informed the police that he had got into serious dept recently, and his wife filling for divorce last month had caused him to become seriously depressed. This was not helped by Taylor Armstrong's accusations of physical abuse (we have no idea if they were valid or not). 

I feel the moral of this story, is that people should not take part in reality TV shows if they are not in a sound state of mind or are having problems with their personal lives. I am in no way claiming that reality TV causes people to commit suicide but, what I am saying is that, TV networks have a tendency to choose people who are not mentally sound or in a good place to take part in their shows (because it creates more drama), which can contribute to breakdowns (either someone's own breakdown or their family's). A prime example of this can be seen on the MTV 'Teen Mom'. 

What people usually do not realise when they apply to be on a reality TV show, is that the instant fame they might gain could have lots of negative repercussions... 

Like anybody in the limelight, reality TV stars can often find it difficult to handle their fame and sometimes simply cannot cope with the sudden strain it puts on them and their personal life. 

If well established stars such as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan have had trouble handling fame and everything that comes with it, then how does anyone expect an overnight reality TV star to cope? 

That is why I feel the death of Russell Armstrong is a lesson for our times and a very tragic tale.