Anyone who’s seen one episode of Bravo’s hit series Married to Medicine, knows that the Atlanta doctors, and the women who love them, aren’t afraid to get real.
That’s exactly what happened Friday night during their panel at BravoCon, moderated by ESSENCE’s Senior Entertainment Editor Joi-Marie McKenzie, when the topic turned to a somber storyline this season. Toya Bush-Harris opened up about her recent miscarriage while cameras rolled.
“If a person loses a child, or if they suffer a miscarriage, it can actually destroy relationships,” Dr. Contessa Metcalfe said of Toya and her husband, Dr. Eugene Harris. “I thought it was great that they both were able to accept the way they were [each] mourning and find it as an opportunity to bond.”
Dr. Contessa went on to reveal that she was speaking from experience as she too had suffered a miscarriage when she was six months pregnant. “I was showing,” she recalled.
It’s not clear when Dr. Contessa experienced her own loss, but she along with her husband, Dr. Scott, have three children.
Meanwhile, her co-star Toya, said that she didn’t expect to talk about her own miscarriage this season on Married to Medicine, but it “just happened…right when we started filming. It was a surprise for my family. We were not expecting it.”
With tears in her eyes, she continued, “When we were pregnant, it was so easy…it was just honestly, really, unexpected.”
Thankfully, Toya said she had “very supportive friends” and her “husband was very loving.” She also used it as a teachable moment for her two small sons, Ashton and Avery.
Another co-star could also relate: Mariah Huq. The Atlanta housewife, who’s also a producer on the series, said she learned a lot from Toya coming out and sharing her story.
“When I miscarried years ago with twins, I didn’t have the courage to come out and talk about it and share it with everybody because emotionally I was so broken,” the mother of two revealed. “That’s the thing I love about [Toya] and that I’m learning from her just to be open and allow people to embrace you and support you when you’re going through those tough times.”
Bravo’s Married to Medicine airs every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Ashlee Tuck contributed to this report.