Nearly 12 years after she first left The Real Housewives of Orange County, Gretchen Rossi is set to make her return for Season 19.
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The mom of one will appear alongside cast members Tamra Judge, Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, Jennifer Pedranti, and Katie Ginella as a friend.
Less than a month after confirming the exciting news, Gretchen and her longtime fiancé, Slade Smiley, chatted with E! News about why now feels like the "right time" for her to come back.
"She's authentically friends with [the] majority of the women outside of what happens with filming and production," Slade explained. "We've got great relationships with a lot of the girls. I'm excited about that part for you."
Since the last time viewers saw Gretchen on RHOC Season 8 (which featured her proposing to Slade), her life has changed considerably. She welcomed daughter Skylar Gray Smiley in 2019, and she's excited for viewers to catch a glimpse at her life as a mom.
"This new stage of our life, because I think everybody knew that I really wanted to have a child," she told the outlet. "So, I think that will be fun for people to see Slade and I together as parents."
Would Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley get married on RHOC?
Slade and Gretchen have been engaged since RHOC Season 8, but the two have yet to formally tie the knot.
Neither party is ruling out the possibility of getting married on the show.
"You never know," Gretchen told E! News. Slade agreed, adding, "Absolutely no reason for us to not to."
Gretchen Rossi explains why she hasn't married Slade Smiley yet
Though Gretchen and Slade are more than 12 years into their engagement, they aren't waiting to tie the knot for any specific reason. During an appearance on the February 14 episode of Scheana Shay's podcast, Scheananigans with Scheana Shay, Gretchen said that the delay has really been a "timing" issue.
When the pair first got engaged, Slade took on a work project that prevented them from having the time to have a wedding. "Then life just got so busy," she said.
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Eventually, the pair decided to shift their focus to having a family. "And then I started trying to have a baby, and that was so much money just doing the whole IVF thing and all that for four and a half years," Gretchen continued. "And then after we had the baby, we were just busy being parents."
Though she and Slade could have just had a casual courthouse wedding, it's not Gretchen's style. "I'm not the kind of girl that's like, 'Let's go down to the courthouse and get married,'" she said. "I want the wedding. ... I want to have more of the big hoopla."
