Porsha Williams Reveals Why She Exited 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'

Porsha Williams is getting candid about her exit from The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

In a new interview with Variety, the reality star discussed her new memoir The Pursuit of Porsha: How I Grew Into My Power and Purpose and why she ultimately decided it was time for her to leave the beloved Bravo franchise.

Click inside to read more…

In her new book, Porsha opened up about her relationship with former Washington Redskin running back Clinton Portis and revealed that after he learned she was pregnant with their child, he informed her that he wanted the baby and would raise it with his mother.

After “a lot of somber contemplation” she ultimately decided to have an abortion. The decision to talk about it in her book was “an easy one” she said.

“The shame and regret, and the hurt and the loss — all of that is the same feeling that a lot of women feel,” she explained of her decision to be open about it. “Hopefully, another woman who is going through something like that, or has gone through something through like that, will be able to forgive themselves quicker than I did.”

She also alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by a boyfriend who she calls Southern Jon in the book.

“In writing this book, I was so set on being 100% honest, 100% open, that it truly frustrated me not to be able to be more detailed than I was,” she noted. “But for legal reasons, I was advised not to.”

Porsha went on to say that she hopes the incident will help clarify the pattern of relationships she fell into throughout her life.

“She’s looking for love in the wrong places,” she said. “She’s wanting something from a man regardless of the red flags, regardless of anything else, and ending up in a place with yet another man who I loved who took advantage of me.”

She also details her time on RHOA in the book, throwing some subtle shade at co-star Kenya Moore by refusing to name her while writing about her.

When asked about the show, she replied: “I think about the sisterhood — I really do.”

She brought up Kandi Burruss supporting her after her divorce, and Nene Leakes “on and off camera, just being the voice of reason in my life for me — helping guide me through this crazy divorce, this crazy new world of being a reality star.”

The lowest points of her time on the show, she said, where “dealing with anger management.”

“What I needed to do was get my emotions in check, and keep true to my character and understand what’s important,” she explained. “Through going to counseling during that time, I realized: ‘You know what? How you want to leave this world, what legacy you want to leave behind, that’s more important than any argument.”

Porsha announced that she would be leaving the series in September and revealed in her interview she had been contemplating the exit for a while.

“I knew that I wanted to semi-retire at 40,” she said. “After I had my daughter — listen — I just knew she was my world. That’s it. I just want as much time with her as possible. And with me in the past dealing with mental health, I knew that I needed to be as healthy mentally as I could be. No drama, etc. Just in a happy peaceful place for my baby girl.”

She added that RHOA was a journey she would “never, ever regret” and said of a possible return to the franchise, “I would never say never.”

Her new Bravo spinoff, Porsha’s Family Matters, is set to premiere on Nov. 28.

A few months ago, Andy Cohen shared his thoughts on Porsha‘s departure. Find out what he said…