Not holding back. Heather Gay is the latest Real Housewife to add “author” to her resume — and she wasn’t afraid to bare it all.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star, 48, released her first memoir, Bad Mormon, on Tuesday, February 7. The book covers everything from her childhood and post-college stint as a missionary to her marriage to ex-husband Billy Gay.
“No one’s ever asked me to write my story before, and so when the opportunity came up, I jumped at it,” the Bravo personality exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the book’s release. “But I really felt like it was important if I was going to break the legacy of generations before me, I wanted to make sure that I told it with my voice, with my experience, from my perspective … and that I left no stone unturned. And it felt like the only way to do that was with a book.”
In the memoir, the reality star details her upbringing in the Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints and her subsequent decision to step back from the religion. When she decided to join RHOSLC, she consulted her bishop about the series — and he told her not to sign on.
“Don’t do it,” Heather recalled him telling her in the book. “It’s not worth it. And if you do, make sure you carry around a glass of milk when you’re at parties with alcohol.”
The Beauty Lab + Laser founder considered his words for a month, but she eventually decided to make her own choices. “One day, in an instant, I realized that I didn’t have to do what the bishop said,” she wrote. “I could do whatever I wanted. I wasn’t beholden to him or any other man. And maybe he was wrong. Maybe God wanted me to walk around parties with a martini instead of milk.”
While much of Bad Mormon takes place before Heather became a Real Housewife, there are still a few juicy anecdotes about her RHOSLC castmates. The first time she hung out with Whitney Rose one-on-one was when the Wild Rose Beauty founder, 36, enlisted her as the photographer for a boudoir photo shoot.
The esthetician and her cousin were once thick as thieves — earning themselves the nickname Bad Weather — but Heather told Us that they’re still currently on the “friendship break” that began during season 3 of RHOSLC.
“I think this is really how Whitney wants it to be,” Heather explained. “She wants to be on her own. She doesn’t want to feel obligation or loyalty, and I’m kind of an obligation-loyalty girl. So, I don’t know. I don’t see any stormy weather for bad weather. I think it’s clear skies from here on out. She’s doing her thing and I’ll do mine.”
Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations from Heather’s memoir, Bad Mormon: