(L-R) Robin Reichman, Amanda Hansen, Mary Zilba, Jody Claman, Ioulia Reynolds and Ronnie Negus from the television show The Real Housewives of Vancouver pose for a photo January 30, 2013 in Vancouver.Jeff Vinnick/The Globe and Mail
The Real Housewives of Vancouver may have been placed "on hold" by Slice, but with the recent broadcast of the reality show in the Britain and Australia, the manicured claws are back out, big time.
Twitter has been alight with nasty exchanges between some of the cast, primarily former pals Mary Zilba and Ronnie Negus as well as Zilba's nemesis Jody Claman – and an army of fans in each camp. Zilba has been called trashy, evil, stupid and a compulsive liar. Claman in turn has been called a witch, a bully and vile.
Meanwhile Zilba says that Negus has issued her a cease and desist letter, stating Zilba's fans are sending defamatory tweets about Negus. When asked about the letter, Negus's lawyer, Jeffery E. Wittmann, provided this written statement: "Ronnie would simply like to convey that she has long moved on from The Real Housewives of Vancouver and is now focusing on her family and new ventures. Ronnie believes that life is fleeting and she truly wishes ALL of her cast mates great success and happiness in all of their future endeavours."
Claman says she knew the Housewives would have to relive the nastiness of the show when it aired again in the Britain and Australia. "I knew it would be painful, but your skin gets very thick quite quickly," says Claman, whose new ventures include writing a book and creating a grain-free dog- and cat-food line.
Zilba, whose song Hero (featured on the show) shot to No. 1 on the Britain's country chart says she's too busy to care about the unpleasantness from her former castmates – recording a Christmas album, launching a yoga line, and selling her makeup line on The Shopping Channel. "I think they can't stop living the show," says Zilba, who recently turned 50. "I've moved so far on from it."
Marsha Lederman