It turns out that Alexia Nepola chose to hide the news from her husband that she was cast in The Real Housewives of Miami season 1 as she was afraid he would say no to the job. It is hard to imagine the Miami-based spin-off without Alexia since her fiery Cuban attitude has been the cause of some great TV moments. As one of the OG RHOM housewives, Alexia is a perfect fit for the show.
Alexia’s former husband, Herman Echevarria, wasn’t too keen on allowing his wife to air their life story on national TV. The businessman supposedly had a few conditions, as Alexia explained on her new podcast Ay Por Favor, which included Marysol Patton and Lea Black being a part of the cast. Alexia kept the secret of her casting just until Bravo cameras were about to show up and start filming.
RHOM’s Alexia Nepola Claims Herman Was Controlling
Alexia shared with RHOM viewers that Herman was extremely controlling and wanted nothing to do with the show, calling him “machismo.” The mother of two revealed that her Cuban husband was not a fan of the idea of having his wife outshine him or having skeletons come out of the closet. Alexia maintained that it was the perfect timing back in 2011 to step out of Herman’s shadow and become the star of her own life. She shared that even with her then-husband’s reservations, she had a “little voice” inside of her that told her she shouldn’t let the opportunity pass and to try out for the casting directors.
Sadly, Herman passed away in 2016 at the age of 61 from a heart attack. RHOM fans learned shortly after that Herman was gay and lived a secret life. During an earlier season of RHOM, Alexia revealed that Herman had a lover and even paid for the lover’s Miami home. Later on in the season, Alexia shared that she believed Herman was actually bisexual and wished he would have come out earlier so his family could have supported him.
Even though, at the time, Herman may not have been a fan of filming a reality TV show, Alexia is a staple now on RHOM. The self-proclaimed “Cuban Barbie” had quite the last season, which showed her marrying Todd Nepola. The Alexia also helped her son Frankie overcome a few obstacles to better his life. The Real Housewives of Miami season 6 has yet to resume filming, but it has already been reported that Alexia will be bringing the heat when she returns.
Sources: Ay Por Favor/iHeart, Alexia Nepola/Instagram
