Erika Girardi Admits Ex Tom Girardi’s Prison Sentence ‘Reopens Old Healing Wounds’

Erika Girardi is speaking out after her estranged husband Tom Girardi was sentenced to seven years in prison.

During an appearance on Diamonds in the Rough podcast, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 53, recalled learning of Girardi’s sentencing in London earlier this month following his August 2024 conviction.

The disbarred personal injury lawyer was convicted of four counts of wire fraud following a 13-day trial after embezzling more than $15 million from his clients over 10 years, from 2010 to 2020.

Before the sentencing, she recalled, “My London shows were probably better than any sex you could ever have, very good. I had the best time of my life. Well, the best part was that I felt completely free and just like I was three years old, and I was just really in a great place.”

However, that all changed when “ten minutes before the second show, I get the news that Tom is being sent to prison,” she said.

She explained that learning her ex’s fate “reopens old healing wounds,” adding, “It is something that I had a sold-out crowd in a theater just for me, and I was so grateful. My happiest place in the whole world to be is on stage. So while I was happy … there’s a little piece [of me] that was like, ‘Ugh.’ ”

The television personality detailed how her mindset shifted due to the sentencing.

“I was very disappointed because those people [in the audience] were there for me, and I felt like 5% of myself was feeling sorry for myself,” she recalled. “I was 95% there, and 5% of myself was feeling sorry for myself.” 

When asked what day this occurred, she explained, “This was the day that he got sentenced, my second show. My first show was flawless. And my second show was great, don’t get me wrong. But there was that 5% I could have given the audience, and instead I was feeling sorry for myself.”

Despite her personal struggles, Erika noted that “people loved it,” but she knew that she was “fighting back thoughts and emotions” while performing.

Following her ex’s conviction, Erica admitted she “never saw this coming” on season 14 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

“Tom was loved, he was admired, he was accomplished,” she said. “And this is how his story ended. I don’t know that I’ll ever get over that.”

When Kyle Richards stopped by to see how Erika was handling the news, she admitted that she felt “terrible.”

“Right before this verdict, I was doing so good, I was feeling good, I was excited,” she said. “And then the next day, I became tired. I started to want to sleep a lot. I just didn’t want to slide back into that terrible place.”

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Erika filed for divorce from the attorney —  who was previously diagnosed with dementia and late-onset Alzheimer’s — in 2020, after 22 years of marriage. Less than a year later, news of his legal troubles began making headlines, leaving fans speculating about Erika’s involvement, although she has maintained she had no knowledge of the crimes and has not faced any indictments.

“When I found out about the verdict, the wall started to close in — it immediately took me back a couple of years when everything was just out of control,” she admitted. “My drinking, my medication, it was just all of this pressure. And I thought, ‘Oh, my God. It’s happening again. It’s happening again.’ I literally felt like I was being dragged down, like I was being dragged under the ground.”