Gretchen Rossi Says She Wasn’t Fired From ‘RHOC’ [Report]

Gretchen Rossi has reportedly claimed she and her fiancé, Slade Smiley, were not fired from Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County.

Although rumors which followed the eighth season of the show claimed she and Alexis Bellino were let go from the show because of their lackluster storylines, Gretchen Rossi reportedly insists that was not the case.

On February 26, an insider revealed the following to Radar Online.

“[Gretchen Rossi] and Slade say they walked away from a lucrative multi-season contract with Bravo. They claim that they desperately wanted to get away from all the drama.”

Still, the insider maintains Gretchen Rossi and Smiley were axed after their storyline was deemed boring.

“They need money. They would have remained on the show for years if they had had the choice!”

Following The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 8, an insider told Us Weekly that Bravo had cut Gretchen Rossi, along with Bellino, because their story lines simply didn’t resonate well with fans of the show.

“Alexis and Gretchen were fired. They just had run their course. Gretchen has been on the show a long time, and it was the same old story.”

Around the same time, a source confirmed the news of Gretchen Rossi’s exit to E! News, as well.

“Neither will be returning for season nine. The feeling is both of their journeys on the show have come to an end.”

As the Inquisitr previously reported, Gretchen Rossi not only is reportedly insisting she was never fired, she’s also claimed the network wanted her and Smiley to remain on the series for a wedding special.

During Season 8, the couple got engaged after Gretchen Rossi proposed in a dramatic moment atop a building in Los Angeles. Months later, according to a Reality Tea report, Bravo requested the couple’s wedding be filmed for a spinoff. However, Rossi and Smiley allegedly declined the opportunity because they weren’t yet ready to tie the knot.

As fans of the couple have seen, Gretchen Rossi and Smiley feuded for years over whether to get married first or have a child first. Rossi felt she and Smiley should welcome their first child together before tying the knot while her fiancé preferred to get married prior to starting a family.

After leaving The Real Housewives of Orange County, Gretchen Rossi and her fiancé appeared on WEtv’s Marriage Boot Camp, where they dealt with issues within their relationship, including their dispute over children.

[Photo via Twitter]