All the upcoming drama in Alexia Echevarria’s life on "The Real Housewives of Miami"
is, tragically, of the real variety. Her youngest son Frankie Rosello
continues to recuperate from a major car accident, while her older son
Peter Rosello remains a "work in progress" after being charged with
felony battery after he punched a sleeping homeless man last year.
Here, we chat with Alexia as she cries, laughs, and sends a message to all the know-it-all critics in the blogosphere.
It
can be hard when your friends want to talk about each other and you are
in the middle of so many fights. Do we see that come to a head?
I
actually like Lea and I like Adriana, and I think they both have a lot
of valid points, so they are the only ones that can fix this problem.
And it’s really interesting how it unfolds. For me, it's really tough
because I kind of analyze both sides, and I can't make anybody change
their minds about anyone. And I think it takes time. Sometimes you can't
get in the middle so much. And I'm also in the middle between Lea and
Marysol, and that is even more uncomfortable because I am very friendly
with Marysol, and that is why I have a problem with Lea because it feels
like I should pick sides and I have a problem with picking sides.
That's just me. I have always been like that. I've always been the girl
that gets along with everyone. And there has to be one, don't you think?
Agreed. So when you and Marysol hang out and you get snapped by the paparazzi, do you worry about Lea seeing the pictures?
I
don't think about it. Lea loves Herman and my kids, and she always
makes it a point to say she loves them, and the other day I go, “What
about me? When are you gonna say ‘I love Alexia'?” And I said, “I know
what your answer is. You're gonna say, 'I love Alexia when she picks my
side.'” We were cracking up. Everybody is the way they are and I respect
that. You'll see on the show I can be friends with both of them without
being the gossip. I am not the type that talks. That's not my
personality, because at the end, you're the one that comes out looking
like an ass and you're in the middle.
Joanna did an interview recently where she described Adriana as a con artist. Thoughts?
I
could have told you that. It doesn’t surprise me. You have to watch and
see why she says that. I don’t see it that way, but it all depends on
your relationship. I wouldn't say that, but I guess she got that from
Lea. Lea is the one who calls her the con artist.
And she called Marysol boring. What do you think of that?
Um,
no. She doesn’t know Marysol the way I know Marysol, and you’ll be
watching the real Marysol this season. And I think her storyline is
stronger this season, even though she is recurring; she is friendly with
me and Adriana, so she has a lot of scenes with us.
Your mother is a riot. Are we gonna see a lot of her?
I’m
really privileged to have a mother who is my mother and my friend. She
was always more like a friend than a mother. She’s a psychiatrist, she’s
like a 30-year-old trapped in... I don’t want to say
her age, because she'll kill me. Mentally, she is such a liberal,
open-minded person: so much fun, always has something smart to say that
makes a lot of sense. She really speaks the truth. And I think I got
that from my mom. She spends time here now because of what I have been
going through for the last two years. My mother is sort of being like
the mediator in the way she can, which is psychologically.
She seems to have a good way with Peter. Is that helpful?
Yes,
she is. If she didn’t have problems with her knees and back, she would
be going with Peter to clubs because that is her mindset. It’s very easy
for him to talk to her. He feels he can talk to her more than he can to
me. People feel very comfortable speaking to her.
Does she give you too much advice? Do you ever go, "Mom, lay off, it’s my kid"?
No.
You know what, I don't. I have never had that attitude with my mom… You
don’t want your kids to make the same mistakes that you made, but some
kids will listen and some don’t. Peter makes his own mistakes and learns
from them to get where he is today. If I had listened to my mom, I
wouldn't have made a lot of mistakes, but you learn from them and turn
negative to positive. Life goes on. Being able to get up after you're
down and move forward is what is important.
Which of your friends have been there the most for you throughout your ordeals?
Marysol
has been, and Anna and I were friendly before. I mean, I am still
friendly with her, but I have known her from before the show the most.
Lea has been very supportive, too. I like Lea a lot. She just has a
weird way of showing that she cares for you. I think that is where she
comes off as a tough person. She has a hard time showing her feelings
and emotions. But I like her and I get her. She was very good with me
and came to visit at the hospital and sent texts and prayers, so I will
always appreciate that.
Is
it hard to relive things when they hit the web? Peter’s arrest was in
April, but it didn’t make headlines for a few months. Do you read the
blogs?
First of all,
I don’t have a Google alert on me or any of the girls. Nobody knows my
life more than me. I do not read what other people write about me. I
have never done it, not even in Season 1. I Googled myself once in my
life. And you are always gonna see something you don’t like, so for me
to stay sane, I don't have a thick skin, so I don't read anything. My
husband does. And he is like, "Oh, information is power," but no. Nobody
knows what my life is like but me. If anybody is gonna write about it,
it's gonna be me. And like I said, that was a turning point. That
happened shortly after the homeless incident. Fortunately the case was
dismissed, and nothing came out of that, but it was a turning point in
my relationship with him and in his whole life, which you'll see in the
show. And my relationship with him has gotten him to where he is today, a
much better place. But he is a work in progress.
How is he now?
Peter
is turning 21, and like I said, all kids are different. These last two
years have been very difficult. When you go through this, almost losing
your brother, every kid handles it differently. And I left Miami. I had
to leave my kid, my home, and Herman and Peter, and focus on Frankie,
and it was the only way I could recuperate and recover. So I kind of
left everything behind and focused on Frankie. My mother's like, "Your
son Peter is suicidal. You need to get involved." And that's when
everything started. He was acting out, hanging out with the wrong
people. He was pretty much on his own, not knowing whether his brother
was gonna make it or not. He was at a very dark, dark place in his life
and not caring or valuing his own life or the life of others and made
mistakes, but not about of being a bad person or a bad boy, but out of
desperation or attention-seeking. I don’t even know. There is no reason
for it, besides that he was very troubled. You’ll see how six months
later he is in a better place: still a work in progress, recuperated.
The Peter I raised and knew, he is. And it's not because I am his mother
defending him. He is my son and I will never give up on him. I don’t
give up on my children. That's why my children are where they are today.
I will not give up on them.
