<> SiriusXM Studio on February 7, 2012 in New York City.
Fame-to-memoir timeline: 2011-February 2012 (About 12 months)
Armstrong’s husband’s casket was barely closed when her book about her life and his suicide came out.
The reality star made no secret of her history with domestic abuse on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Episodes showed her work with the 1736 Family Crisis Center and teary testimonials of personal experience. What she didn’t mention was how recently she had dealt with it. No one was surprised when she filed for divorce from her husband Russell in July 2011; the union was noticeably strained on the show. A month later, amid allegations of money troubles and domestic abuse, Russell committed suicide.
As the show scrambled for an appropriate way to address his death on its impending second season, Armstrong dealt with the aftermath and got to work on her life story.
Hiding from Reality: My Story of Love, Loss, and Finding the Courage Within was published February 7, 2012, just before the season wrapped—probably timed to capitalize on the show’s prominence and the recency of Russell’s death.