Lydia McLaughlin, a former star of "The Real Housewives of Orange County," decided to leave the world of reality television and focus instead on her family and Christian faith. She is also a mother of three children.
In an interview conducted by Sasha Bogursky of FOX411, the former "Real Housewife" disclosed that she grew up in a "super spiritual" home, although she noted that it was not a "typical Christian home." She currently has a new book out entitled "Beyond Orange County: A Housewives Guide to Faith & Happiness."
"When I was in high school, I became a Christian through a young life trip that I took and I was really involved in that growing up," 34-year-old McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin added that she wrote the book as a way "to send a positive message" to younger women.
"Because I became a Christian in high school and my older mentor meant so much to me, I knew how much of a difference I could make to other people too," McLaughlin said. "And so I wanted to tell people about my faith and how it's shaped me into who I am and how important that is. And so it was just a natural overflow of my heart."
FOX411 asked McLaughlin on what people would take away after reading her book. She hoped it would inspire others to follow God.
"I would love them to just make their faith a reality in their lives and to be set free from the chains of this world," McLaughlin said. "To know that scripture is alive and active and it can make a difference in their lives and it matters."
McLaughlin explained her reasoning as to why she decided to leave the "Real Housewives."
"There are days that I question it and may be sad about it, but I know it was the right decision for me and my family," McLaughlin said. "There were a lot of red flags along the way that I received so at the end I did the chart of all the reasons why I wanted to do it, which were kind of worldly and selfish kind of things, and the all the reasons to leave were of kingdom value."
McLaughlin compared her departure from the show to "a boyfriend that you know you're not going to marry and so you know you need to break up with him and that's hard." FOX411 then asked her if she found it hard to stay true to her Christian values, given the reality TV spotlight on her.
"I think I was set up to fail because people think if you're a Christian and you mess up, that means you're a hypocrite," McLaughlin said. "But I'm a Christian because I'm so messed up, and that's why I believe in Jesus and so I think definitely it was hard and the show is based on drama and gossip and clothes and fashion."
McLaughlin thought that as a believer, she would be able to find her place in the show.
"It's naturally who I am," McLaughlin said. "I'm an editor for a magazine so we deal with luxury things anyway, so it seemed like a perfect fit in my life to take on that role and to try and be a light using kind of the megaphone that I got."
