On Tuesday, Tamra Judge took to Instagram to post a sweet family photo, admitting she is hugging her kids “extra tight lately,” amid ex-husband Simon Barney’s cancer diagnosis.
She posted a photo captured in California, captioning, “My ❤ is full, hugging these kiddos extra tight lately ?.”
The photo features Tamra, her husband Eddie Judge and three of her children – Spencer (19) and Sophia (14), whom she shared with her ex-husband Barney, and eldest son, Ryan Vieth (34), from a previous relationship with Darren Vieth. However, her eldest daughter, Sidney Barney (21), was not in the photo.
The Real Housewives of Orange County (RHOC) star’s post comes after Barney, 55, revealed to PEOPLE that he has been diagnosed with stage III throat cancer.
He said, “I’m a private person, despite what my time on reality television might say. But I wanted to speak before someone else does and uses their words, not mine. And to speak out about it so others can see how I’ve taken this fight on with optimism and the good this has ultimately brought my life.”
“I think everything happens for a reason, I think your destiny is pretty much set for you, and you’re here to learn lessons,” Simon continued. “This has been a tough lesson for me. And I’m hoping it can be a lesson for others, too.”
In spite of the diagnosis, both Simon and Tamra say his current battle with throat cancer has brought their family together. He told PEOPLE, “It’s kind of like a new beginning for me and my family. It’s really brought everyone closer together.”
Barany and Tamra were married from 1998 until 2011. Their contentious divorce sparked an ugly custody battle. Tamra and her daughter, Sidney, even stopped communicating entirely, as did Simon and Spencer.
Several attempts were made to reconcile the couple but Simon’s cancer diagnosis has changed everyone’s perspective.
Tamra said, “The kids were split after the divorce and chose sides but, at the end of the day, none of that matters. All we have to do is rally together to make it through this.”
She even opted to exit RHOC after Simon’s diagnosis and her husband Eddie’s recent heart issues. She said, “It made me reevaluate my life.”
Tamra revealed, “Simon had told me about his health back in November and I was completely destroyed.”
“I was a mess! This is the father of my children. Any ill will between the two us just vanished. My first thought was, ‘I don’t want to take my kids to their dad’s funeral.’ And my second was, ‘I don’t want to go back to the show,’” she added.
“The reality of it is, after Eddie’s heart condition and now Simon with cancer, it’s just very hard for me to want to go on a show where people are screaming and yelling and arguing about things that don’t even matter,” Tamra continued. “They’ve taught me that life is precious, and you don’t get that time back.”
