Gordon Thornton Opens Up About Bipolar Diagnosis at ‘Real Housewives of Potomac’ Reunion

Through the third a part of the “Real Housewives of Potomac” Season 8 reunion, Gordon Thornton, Mia Thornton’s estranged husband, shared a poignant replace about his private life.

In a dialog with host and govt producer Andy Cohen, Gordon revealed that he was identified with bipolar I dysfunction. This situation, outlined by the Mayo Clinic as inflicting “extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression),” has been part of his life for a few years.

“Bipolar, in and of itself, causes your mind to really work opposite,” the 71-year-old defined throughout Sunday’s episode. “Your mind tricks you into saying ‘You are normal, everyone else is slow.’”

He shared that he was formally identified two and a half years in the past however acknowledges signs courting again to his early 20s. “I can remember episodes over the course of my life,” he stated. “My manic got worse over the years as I gained more control, more power, more money.”

Gordon emphasised that whereas treatment helps handle his signs, it isn’t the only real resolution. “The key to controlling this is not the medication exclusively,” he shared. “You have to go the rest of the way yourself. So the first thing you got to do is understand the behaviors that are the beginning of going into a manic episode.”

He acknowledged that he can not at all times detect these indicators himself. “I cannot [see it]. People around me can,” he famous, recalling that his estranged spouse Mia had recognized his episodes a number of instances earlier than they separated, however he “didn’t listen.”

Mia Thornton and Gordon first met in 2003 at a charity occasion in a strip membership and later collaborated with him on a board for a nonprofit aiming to lift funds for Haiti. The 2 married in March 2012 and have two youngsters collectively, together with youngsters from earlier relationships and several other grandchildren.

The couple separated in June 2023, and their break up was publicly confirmed by PEOPLE in September. “My family is my number one priority, and I am committed to doing whatever it takes to make sure we are okay,” Mia instructed PEOPLE, requesting privateness throughout this era.

Mia has since reignited a relationship along with her former companion, radio character Incognito, often known as INC. On the reunion, Gordon talked about that he and Incognito preserve a cordial relationship.

Regardless of their separation, the couple has not finalized their divorce. “I have signed an affidavit. I can’t get a divorce until June of this year at the earliest, and that’s because we are up for sale for our businesses and they don’t want me to divorce him until that’s done,” Mia revealed on the reunion.

At present, Mia resides in a penthouse residence in Washington, D.C., whereas Gordon lives in an residence in Charlotte, North Carolina. Plans are underway for Gordon to maneuver throughout the road from Mia, she talked about.