LeeAnne Locken will not be returning to The Real Housewives of Dallas after helping to pioneer the Texas Housewives spinoff four seasons ago. After a season in which she was accused of being a racist for making comments about fellow Housewife Kary Brittingham, Locken told PEOPLE in a statement Tuesday that she would not be filming with the show any longer.
“The last four years have been a trolley-slapping good time but after much consideration, I have made the personal decision to step away from RHOD,” Locken told the outlet.
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“Getting to share my wedding with the viewers last year brought me tremendous joy, however, the season was very personally challenging for me,” she continued. “I am looking forward to stepping away from the cameras and spending quality time with my husband and friends, traveling, but most importantly, getting back to philanthropy, which was my main reason for joining the show.”
“Thank you to everyone who has laughed and cried with me along the way,” Locken concluded. “It’s been an amazing journey, and yes my pantyliner is still exhausted. There are so many exciting things on my horizon that I can’t wait to share with you.”
Locken was widely criticized during the end of Season 4, when she said several racially insensitive things about Brittingham, a Mexican-American woman, including dubbing her a “chirpy Mexican.” During the season reunion, Locken apologized for her words, and denied being racist.
“I know every bone in my body, and I know I don’t have a single bone that believes in discrimination,” Locken said at the time. “I believe in inclusion.”
“I am deeply sorry to those that I have hurt or offended with some of my comments,” she also said in a statement at the time the episode aired. “It was never my intention to hurt anyone and I will use this as a learning experience to be more aware of my comments in the future. My commitment moving forward is to continue my work fighting for equality and acceptance of all humans.”
Photo credit: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty
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