Shannon Beador Says It Was 'Humiliating' to Tell Her Kids About Her DUI Arrest: 'They Were Shocked'

Shannon Storms Beador and her daughters. Photo:Shannon Storms Beador/Instagram
Shannon Storms Beador always strives to set a good example for her family.

So when the Real Housewives of Orange County star had to have a conversation with her daughters Sophie, 22, and twins Stella and Adeline, 20, about her 2023 DUI arrest, it was "humiliating."

"They were shocked," Storms Beador, 60, recalls to PEOPLE exclusively of her girls, whom she shares with ex-husband David Beador.

"I'm a huge lecturer on never drinking and driving, and for me at my age to be setting such a poor example was just devastating," she adds. "I made a horrible, horrible decision. I think about it every day, and I'm so grateful that I didn't hurt anyone."

Shannon Storms Beador.Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty 
Bravo viewers saw a form of Beador's conversation with her girls in RHOC's season 18 premiere, which debuted on Thursday, July 11.

In the episode, the reality star apologized to Sophie, Stella and Adeline for the actions that led up to her arrest. They responded by accepting her apology, encouraging their mom to learn from this.

Storms Beador was arrested the early hours of Sept. 17 in Newport Beach after crashing her car into a planter box attached to a house. Police recorded a .24 blood alcohol level (three times the legal limit).

She was booked on two misdemeanors and spent a few hours in jail before she was released on a citation. The reality star would later be sentenced to three years of probation, which came with a required order to complete 40 hours of community service and a nine-month alcohol program.

Shannon Storms Beador.Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock 
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Before the accident in September 2023, Storms Beador admits that she was using alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with unresolved emotions stemming from her divorce to Beador and her breakup with ex John Janssen.

"I deserved to get hurt," she tells PEOPLE. "I made a very stupid choice."

"There's a lot guilt and shame, and my kids are forgiving," Storms Beador continues. "They don't like it when I express to them how upset I still am that it happened."

Since the accident, Storms Beador says she's "back on track" and has found other coping mechanisms, including using cold packs and going on walks.

"Something as drastic as the DUI had to happen for me to make the right changes in my life," she tells PEOPLE.

"I am grateful that I have such loving kids, but I am still working on myself, and I believe that God has a plan," she shares. "And look, I am so grateful I didn't hurt anyone because if I had, I don't know how I would be getting through right now. So I am not belittling what happened. I know the gravity of it, and I'm doing my best to learn from it and make as many positive changes that I can."

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursdays (at 9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.