COTO DE CAZA, Calif., Sept. 22 (UPI) — Brooks Ayers, former boyfriend of Real Housewives of Orange County Star Vicki Gunvalson, insists he is battling cancer despite public doubt he is faking the illness.
The television personality told Entertainment Tonight he believes skepticism by fellow RHOC stars surrounding his diagnosis is simply “manufactured drama” meant to maintain interest. “I have cancer,” Ayers told the outlet Monday when faced with questions regarding the controversy.
Ayers was reportedly first diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2013 and has experienced the cancer advance since then. “I am very sad about the recent diagnosis of Brooks’ cancer reoccurrence,” ex-girlfriend Gunvalson said in a statement in fall of 2014 after news broke the cancer had returned. “It really puts life into perspective and makes you realize how important health, family and friends are during this time.”
Since the 2014 diagnosis, however, other housewives have questioned Ayers’ honesty regarding his health based on his level of activity.
“I think they do it to create drama — manufactured drama and that’s sad to me,”Ayers said. “I’ve distanced myself in a lot of ways from it. It’s useless drama that brings on stress that quite frankly no one needs and in particular my situation. I’m not running from anything.”
