Married To Medicine’s Dr. Contessa Metcalfe has had a bumpy ride on her marriage journey, and publicly so. Ahead of the Season 9 premiere, which airs July 11 on Bravo, Metcalfe shared that her marriage is now in a better place after the couple put in some major work.
“We’ve made some big strides,” she shared with E! News. “We went through a lot of growing pains as people saw. We had a seven-year itch. We had a 10-year and 15-year itch and I’m hoping we’re done scratching. Hopefully, none of that will ever come to the surface like it did last year again.”
This is good news considering Contessa and husband Walter Scott Metcalfe have been married for 17 years and share three children together. If you’re amongst one of the millions of viewers who tunes in to the series, you know the Season 8 reunion show was a tough watch. Her co-stars challenged her about the status of her relationship with her husband and a lot of things were uncovered. During the season there were cheating rumors regarding Scott, and the couple’s daughter casually shared that he had “girlfriends.” It was so intense, the reality star and doctor considered throwing in the towel and filing for divorce once cameras were off, with Contessa filing for separation at one point.
How did the couple manage to turn things around? Therapy was a starting point for them. It was an eye-opener for both herself and Walter as they were able to trace the origin of some of their issues to their own parents’ divorces.
“When he started going to therapy, it was good because he was able to become more aware of the things that he was only doing because it was what he was taught,” Contessa said. “Neither one of us, to be honest, saw a good example of marriage growing up. We were just winging it and then trying to listen to 10 different people tell you 10 different ways to do the same thing. It just was not effective.”
Contessa also identified learned behaviors such as feeling compelled to leave when the going gets tough. This knowledge inspired a shift for her, especially when she realized her behaviors impact her kids.
“Whatever things that we’re doing, we’re making it normal for the kids and they’re gonna grow up and do the same thing because we’re mimicking some of the things that we saw,” she said.
That said, the couple is back on the same page and Contessa is hoping viewers will see the work they’ve put in to build a healthier relationship. As hard as the past season was to watch back for her, she’s embracing the learning opportunities it provided for her to reflect and hit the reset button.
“Actually being honest about what you authentically are going through and how you guys are doing can lead to positive change,” she said. “There’s no right way or wrong way to do it. Just get help. Just be honest because help is waiting for you.”