I thought I knew my husband until he left me shocked and numb by throwing a major twist into our relationship. It was something I never anticipated but to add salt to the wound, he envisioned himself coming out the winner after breaking MY heart! I was having none of it!
Hey everyone, my name is Tanya, 34, and boy do I have a tale to tell! So basically, after being married for a decade, my husband, Alex, 35, suddenly surprised me when he told me he wanted a divorce! Okay, I am getting ahead of myself, I’m just so upset!
*Takes a deep breath*
Alright, let me tell you how this whole divorce thing came about and why my formerly loving husband now wanted to discard me.
Walking into our house that day, I was met with a sight that chilled me to the bone. There was some girl in the kitchen preparing a meal, and she was wearing my favorite pajamas—the ones with the quirky cats dancing across the fabric.
My husband is sprawled on the couch looking quite comfortable for someone who has a random woman in our home. I’m LIVID, all ready to make a scene, but then she turns around, and I just GASP… the woman is my sister, Clara, 38!
The air was thick with an unspoken tension that immediately put me on edge. “Clara, why are you here? And why in the world are you wearing my clothes?” My voice was a mix of bewilderment and rising irritation.
I was honestly shocked to see her there looking so comfortable in my home and thought maybe she got kicked out of her apartment or something and needed our assistance for a while.
Her response, delivered with a smirk that could curdle milk, sent shockwaves through me. “Oh, darling, I’m moving in. Didn’t Alex tell you?” Her casual dismissal of my feelings was a slap in the face, but the real blow came when Alex got up and wrapped his arms around her, their lips meeting in a kiss that was anything but brotherly!!!
My heart stopped, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I was SHOCKED and felt dizzy! “You guys can’t be serious,” I gasped, my voice barely above a whisper. I felt a ringing in my ears as if an explosion had gone off as I put two and two together:
“My husband is dating MY SISTER!?”
“I haven’t been happy in our marriage for years, Tanya. And to be honest, I’d like to focus my attention on my career,” my cheating husband informed me. I figured my sister was in on his plan because she’d always been jealous of my life and relationship.
See Clara had always been our parents’ favorite and “angelic” child who could do no wrong, but as the years went by, they started seeing how she hid behind excuses and me to get out of taking any accountability for her life. “When are you getting a job Cla?” our parents would ask.
“You need to be more like your younger sister, find your way in life,” they’d say.
She resented that comparison because it meant she wasn’t their “good girl” anymore who just had to breathe to be celebrated. I only dated about two guys before meeting Alex, while Clara went through men like a toddler going through candy!
“Why do you always have to act perfect?” she’d taunt me when our parents came down hard on her. “I am not ‘perfect’ Clara, I am just trying my best. Have you ever considered doing that perhaps?” I’d challenge her. But I had no idea how far she’d go to be the shining star in the family, even if it meant taking something that wasn’t hers to take!
Andy’s confessions could fill a telenovela season as he spills about a decade-long affair, even trying to woo Jean right before her wedding. The audacity! It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, but his wife emerges not as a damsel in distress but a warrior, taking no prisoners and starting anew, with the measuring cup that uncovered the betrayal as a symbol of her newfound strength.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
She Was a 1980s Bombshell, But Heather Thomas Faced Demons—Her Transformation at 66 Is Unbelievable!
Heather Thomas, known for her role alongside Lee Majors in *The Fall Guy*, turned 66 on September 8. She was on track for a very successful Hollywood career.
However, after the show’s finale, her mother appeared on set, and Thomas rushed to the hospital, thinking her father had an emergency. But when she arrived at the Santa Monica hospital, her family and friends told her that her father, Leon, was fine—it was her they were worried about.
This marked the start of a new chapter in the 28-year-old’s life, which would change both her personal life and career.
Read on to find out what happened to the famous 1980s pinup girl!
Heather Thomas had talent and natural beauty that compared to stars like Farrah Fawcett and Heather Locklear. She was born to be in the spotlight.
At just 14, she hosted an NBC show called *Talking with a Giant*, where she and other teens interviewed celebrities.
Wanting more, Thomas studied film and theater at UCLA, aiming to be an actor, director, and writer. Before she graduated, she appeared in a short-lived comedy series called *Co-Ed Fever* in 1979.
In 1980, Thomas, who was born in Connecticut, landed her first major role in *The Fall Guy*. She played Jody Banks, a stuntwoman and bounty hunter, alongside Lee Majors, who was famous for his role in *The Six Million Dollar Man*.
Her role made her popular, especially among male viewers, who saw her as a sex symbol. Thomas had mixed feelings about this label.
“There’s a kind of condescension that comes with it,” she told *People*. “You fit the stereotype of the blonde bimbo. But at the time, I was just having fun.”
Unfortunately, Thomas’s fun also involved drugs, a habit that began before her role as Jody Banks.
She revealed that her drug use started in sixth grade to help keep her grades up. “I was taking acid and getting straight A’s. I thought it was mind-expanding,” Thomas said.
As Heather Thomas grew older, the drugs she used also changed.
While studying at UCLA, Thomas started using cocaine. By 1981, just one year into her role on *The Fall Guy*, her drug problems got worse.
Feeling pressure to live up to her image as a sex symbol, the 5-foot-7 actress became obsessed with her weight. She began taking Lasix, a diuretic that can cause extreme tiredness.
To fight the tiredness, she used more cocaine to stay energized.
“At first, I loved the drug. I felt like I was getting a lot out of it. It kept me awake all night, and I could still work the next day,” she said, but claimed she never used it on set. “Cocaine isn’t accepted on sets. It’s no longer cool. It’s just a personal nightmare.”
However, a source close to Thomas told *People* that her drug use was hurting her career. “People knew Heather had a problem,” the source said.
Thomas’s weight dropped from 125 to 105 pounds, and she began falling asleep between scenes. She admitted, “Sometimes, I was in a mini coma.”
One day, she passed out in front of her co-star, Lee Majors. He contacted her manager, who then called her mother.
After the final episode of *The Fall Guy* was filmed, Thomas’s mother, Gladdy Ryder, showed up on set and told her that her father was in the hospital.
Thomas rushed to St. John’s Hospital, but when she arrived, she was met by her family and friends. They were there to admit her into a three-week drug rehabilitation program.
“That day was a big relief for me,” Thomas said. When she checked into detox, she had pneumonia, scarred lungs, and inflamed kidneys. “I’d been on a roller coaster, and I wanted to get off. If my family hadn’t stepped in, I probably would have kept going until I lost my job or died.”
She also said, “The doctors told me I should have been dead three years ago.”
Determined to recover, Thomas surrounded herself with people who supported her goal of staying drug-free. That’s when she met Allan Rosenthal, co-founder of Cocaine Anonymous, and married him when she was 28. They divorced in September 1986.
That same month, Thomas was hit by a car while crossing the street, leaving her with serious injuries to both legs.
After detox, divorce, and surgery to repair major damage in one of her legs, Heather Thomas returned to acting with smaller roles in TV series. She also appeared in movies like *Cyclone* in 1987 and the 1990 Canadian film *Red Blooded American Girl* with Christopher Plummer.
With her struggles behind her, Thomas started fresh in the 1990s. While working to revive her career, she married entertainment lawyer Skip Brittenham in 1992. She became a stepmother to his two daughters, Kristina and Shauna, and gave birth to her only biological child, daughter India Rose, in June 2000.
Talking about her decision to step away from acting, Thomas said, “I had about 45 restraining orders, and I was on everything from a toilet seat cover to an ashtray. Then I fell in love, had two little girls, and decided to give up acting to write for a while.”
In 2017, Thomas made a brief comeback in the movie *Girltrash: All Night Long*, one of her 26 acting credits.
However, Thomas has focused mostly on writing. She said it wasn’t a lack of roles that drove her away from acting but the constant threat of stalkers invading her privacy. “One guy climbed over the fence with a knife. I had two little girls who needed raising, so that was that. Now, I think I’m old enough that people won’t bother me as much.”
Today, Thomas is also involved in activism. She has served on the boards of the Rape Foundation and the Amazon Conservation Team.
Identifying as a feminist, which some find surprising for a former sex symbol, Thomas explained how she embraced both roles.
“When I was younger, I did what people told me. But as I got older, I didn’t compromise myself. I wanted power and freedom, and my career gave me that. I don’t think being a feminist means you should be ashamed of your body,” she said.
It’s unfortunate that Heather Thomas wasn’t able to fully revive her acting career, but we’re glad she got the help she needed and is now on a lifelong journey of recovery.
The 1980s had so many great shows, and we loved watching her as Jody Banks in *The Fall Guy* alongside Lee Majors, the Six Million Dollar Man!
We’d love to hear your thoughts about Heather Thomas and her journey to recovery!
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