It’s not an exaggeration to say that The Valley star Nia Sanchez Booko is one of the kindest Bravolebrities out there. A mother to three children under 3 (and almost ready to give birth to her fourth child), Sanchez Booko won Miss USA 2014 and became one of the most well-respected coaches in the pageant industry. Her marriage to fellow The Valley star Danny Booko in 2015, has resulted in a happy union that has been an example to all their friends who are experiencing marital issues.
However, the last few episodes of the hit Bravo franchise have been tough on our favorite couple. Last Halloween, Danny’s inappropriate behavior towards Jasmine Goode and her now-fianceé Melissa Moore after a long evening of drink raised red flags and became a topic of conversation this season. In last week’s episode, Booko arrived late and tired to a group trip to Santa Barbara, had too much to drink at a winery, and promptly passed out before dinner. While Nia brushed off the incident, friend Brittany Cartwright—whose tumultuous relationship with ex Jax Taylor is much discussed among the cast— accused Nia of covering up any potential cracks in their marriage.
In this exclusive clip from tonight’s all-new episode, Nia opens up to the women after the trip. “I was homeless with my mom when I was kid,” Nia begins tearfully: “We were living in a shelter; we slept on couches; we pitched tents in people’s backyards; we had to go to parks and get cans out of trash cans to pay rent.” The group listens intently as Nia continues.
“I’ve had times that I’ve slept in my own car as an adult,” admits Nia. “I had a job, but I had to sleep in my car in the parking lot where I worked.” The camera then cuts to Nia asking: “How mortifying is that? To wake up to a security guard being like, ‘you need to leave the employee parking lot,’ and having to go sleep at a Ralph’s instead.” As tears pour down her face, Nia reiterates that “life has not been easy, but that’s okay because it’s made me strong.”
“If I can be that point of light and kindness and positivity, I’d rather bring that into people’s lives,” finishes Nia in her confessional. Back at the table, Nia bares her soul to her friends. “I’ve been through so much, but I’ve always chosen to be positive.” “I remember getting into the front seat of my car from sleeping in the backseat and saying, ‘thank you God that I at least have a car.'” As Nia’s words sink in, the women silently support her sharing her story.
“I’ve always had to have that perspective,” says Nia. “My therapist is like, ‘you’ve had to be that way to survive.'” As Kirsten Doute gives her a big hug, the cameras cut to Nia in her confessional once again. “I’m not going to be negative with people when I have so much to be grateful for, and if my friends want to say that I’m hiding things because I’m choosing to be intentional and positive, then they can say whatever they want to say. But I know my truth.”
Tune in at 9/8c on Bravo to find out what the women have to say about Nia’s emotional story.
