RHOC’s Emily Simpson Details 10-Year-Old Son’s Eating Disorder Diagnosis

During the Season 19 premiere of the Bravo series, the reality star — who shares Luke, his twin, Keller, and daughter Annabelle with her husband Shane — revealed that Luke was diagnosed with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).

According to the Cleveland Clinic, ARFID — which is most common in children — is a condition “that causes you to limit the amount and type of food you eat.” Unlike other eating disorders, it’s not caused by a desire to lose weight or a negative body image, but rather a loss of interest in eating, a fear or anxiety around food or eating, or wanting to avoid certain foods.

Emily, 49, opened up about her son’s diagnosis in a confessional.

“Luke has always been a picky eater, but it’s gotten to the point over the last year where he just doesn’t eat at all,” she said. “Two months ago, I took Luke to a therapist. She told me he definitely has ARFID, which stands for avoidance/restrictive food intake disorder.”

While speaking to her husband, Shane, Emily recalled a conversation she had with Luke’s nutritionist.

“The nutritionist was explaining to me, he doesn’t understand when he feels hungry,” she said. “Food in general disgusts him. She also asked me, ‘Is he very susceptible to smells?’ and I said, ‘Yeah. Like, we’ll walk into somebody’s house and he’ll be like, ‘It stinks in here.’ And I’m like, ‘You can’t say that.'”

“But we have to be more accommodating and lenient when it comes to him because he doesn’t process the idea of eating like we do,” she continued.

“The problem with him not eating anything is that I know he gets low energy,” Emily added. “It affects his mood, but then he doesn’t make that connection.”

The mom of three became emotional while reflecting on her son’s disorder in a confessional.

“I do worry about Luke because I say, ‘Do you want this?’ ‘No. Mom, I’m starving,'” Emily said. ‘Do you want this?’ ‘No, no!’ What do I do? I don’t know what to do. He doesn’t eat anything, but he’s starving.”

“I’m worried that he’s not getting the nutrition he needs,” she continued through tears. “I’m worried that he’s the weird kid at school who doesn’t eat, and everybody’s going to make fun of him. I want my child to be happy. That’s it.”

Emily spoke to her best friend and co-star Gina Kirschenheiter later in the episode, once again becoming emotional as she shared that she learned Luke may also have autism.

“Luke maybe has autism. The therapist told me that the eating disorder is very common with the autism,” she explained. “He has to go to a specialist and test, intense testing. Basically, what we learn from that is where he lies.”

“I felt like the worst mom because I’m like, ‘There’s all these things,'” she said while getting choked up. Like, sound bothers him, smells bother him, textures bother him. And it’s like, ‘Did I just ignore them?'”

Gina told her friend that she can relate to how she’s feeling, noting that she had a similar reaction and doubts when her daughter, Sienna, was diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder.

“My heart just breaks for my friend because I know that she’s the most incredible mom,” Gina shared in a confessional. “But I know she feels guilty, and it’s hard to watch a friend struggle.”

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursday nights on Bravo.