This past year has been a tough one for Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Hadid . Along with dealing with her ongoing fight with Lyme disease, the reality star announced her surprising divorce from David Foster . While Hadid has remained silent about her split from Foster, she opened up about her breakup with Foster during a new interview with Dr. Oz.
According to Us Magazine , Hadid revealed that her struggle with Lyme disease was at the heart of her decision to part ways with Foster. Apparently, the disease changed her to the point where she was no longer the same person as when they first met.
“At the end of the day, David never changed, I changed… Unfortunately, these are the cards that life dealt me. It wasn’t by choice. But I’m not the woman I used to be and I probably will never be again. My focus, my energy goes to trying to get well, trying to make a difference, trying to find a cure for my children … and David’s life is really traveling, going to concerts, loud music. And I mean, I couldn’t, I can barely listen to the radio.”
Hadid has fought the dreaded disease since 2012. She and Foster have had three children together, two of whom also have Lyme disease. This includes Bella and Anwar, while Gigi, her oldest daughter, was not diagnosed.
![Yolanda Foster has documented her battle with Lyme Disease on social media. [Image via Instagram]](http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Yolanda-Foster_Lyme-Disease_RHOBH_Instagram-670x388.jpg)
Speaking of her children, Yolanda Hadid went on to add that her kids are one reason why she has been able to work through her issues. In fact, not only did they provide her with company, but they also inspired her to keep living.
“My children [are] what kept me alive. I remember just waiting for them to get out of school, just to give them a hug and look at them for hope… They’re the ones that kept me fighting and wanting to live. There were many days that I really didn’t want to live anymore. But when you look at your children, it’s not a choice anymore. You have to get through, you have to keep fighting and searching to get well.”
According to E! Online , Hadid admitted that her children’s battle with the disease has also had profound effect on their lives. In particular, she shared how they were forced to mature faster than normal, both in terms of caring for themselves and each other.
Even still, her children’s struggles with Lyme disease has had negative impacts on their lives. According to Yahoo , this includes forcing Bella to choose a new career path in life.
“Bella wanted to be a professional horseback rider, and her dream was to go to the Olympics… She’s been on a horse every day of her life since she was two years old. And all of a sudden she jumped 4-foot-5 courses and you need to have a very sharp brain in order to do the calculations. And she started making mistakes.”
Meanwhile, Hadid has faced criticism about her illness from cast members on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills . Some of ladies on the show have accused Hadid of exaggerating her symptoms. Despite all the negativity, Foster recently told Entertainment Tonight that he is in full support of her ex-wife.
“Over the past few weeks, a great deal of inaccurate or baseless information has been reported claiming to represent my thoughts and feelings… It is painful to watch this happen repeatedly — especially while trying to cope with the personal nature of the challenges surrounding the breakup of our loving marriage.”
Tell us! Were you as shocked as the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ladies with Yolanda Hadid and David Foster’s split? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image via Bravo]