What Gretchen Rossi Has Been Up To Since Leaving RHOC

"Real Housewives" fans rejoiced when it was revealed via Bravo's Instagram on January 9 that none other than former "The Real Housewives of Orange County" star Gretchen Rossi would be making her triumphant return to the franchise for Season 4 of "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip." Rossi is part of a pretty stellar cast too, which includes Phaedra Parks, Eva Marcille, Brandi Glanville, Vicki Gunvalson, Alex McCord, Camille Grammer, and Caroline Manzo. And it seemed like Rossi was very excited to be a part of the franchise again, as she commented on an Instagram post from Bravo announcing the news, "Can't wait! Super excited for this epic trip, with incredible Women!" She also shared a post on Instagram announcing the news, writing, "Ok who's ready? Gunna be a crazy ride! Looking forward to this Epic Trip with an incredible cast!"

It's been quite a while since fans last saw Rossi in the "Real Housewives" world, as she departed "RHOC" as a full-time Housewife after Season 8 in 2013, only returning briefly as a guest for Season 12. But what has she been up to since waving goodbye to the reality TV cameras? Well, grab a cocktail, because we're catching up with Rossi before she heads to Morocco with the girls.

Since leaving "The Real Housewives of Orange County," Gretchen Rossi has still been pretty open with fans about what's been going on in her life, including sharing her and fiancé Slade Smiley's IVF journey — which resulted in them becoming proud parents to Skylar Gray Smiley in 2019. Rossi confirmed the birth of their bouncing baby girl on Instagram and has continued to share gorgeous family photos since, including this one from December 2022 that showed Skylar looking all grown up.

As for where things stand between Rossi and Smiley? Well, fans of the earlier seasons of "RHOC" will be happy to know they're still together, but they haven't moved much closer to walking down the aisle since fans saw Smiley pop the question during Season 8. Rossi addressed why they never tied the knot while celebrating their 10th anniversary on Instagram in 2019, admitting she calls Smiley her husband anyway. Confessing there's still a chance they might make it official, she wrote, "I'm so proud of the fact that we are together because we want to be, not because we feel we have to be. We are committed & loyal to one another whether or not we have a marriage license! And sometimes I think that speaks more volumes." She then pointing out that stars like Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell and Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham have never walked down the aisle, but have been happily together for decades.

As early "The Real Housewives of Orange County" fans will likely remember, Gretchen Rossi made her money through being the creative director of her own lifestyle brand, Gretchen Christine, which focused on beauty and fashion. In 2017, the company was acquired by Dastmalchi, and Rossi revealed to Lioness that she had a lot of big ideas in store for the business. "It's so nice to have this mother ship, if you will, to really help us take the business to the next level," she shared.

But things haven't all been smooth sailing for the star, as news came in 2020 that Rossi's home was reportedly facing foreclosure — and she found herself having to sell part of Gretchen Christine to pay off her debts. "I still live in my house. My house didn't go up for auction... The house never went into auction. I still have my house [and] we're just fine," she said on her "Knot Too Taboo" podcast, admitting that she and Slade Smiley missed their "RHOA" pay check after they left the show. "We had to work really hard to find out what our next thing was and how we were going to make money... at that level," she shared. But despite having to sell some of her company, she revealed she and Smiley have fingers in other pies, including co-founding a CBD company. These days, Rossi is also making cash from social media, while Smiley works in production.