It’s been more than a decade since The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills premiered in October 2010. Since then, we’ve seen ‘wives — and plenty of side-characters — come and go. While series OG Lisa Vanderpump exited the Housewives franchise during season 9 in 2019, her former “houseguest” Cedric Martinez left years sooner. Fans want to know why Cedric left RHOBH and why his relationship with Lisa went downhill.
When Did Cedric Martinez and Lisa Vanderpump Meet?
Fans have been wondering what happened to the handsome London native after his short-lived reality TV career ended thanks to a very public falling out with Lisa. In a 2017 interview on Kate Casey’s Reality Life podcast, Cedric opened up about his life after Housewives — and spilled the tea on the demise of his and Lisa’s relationship.
During his chat with Kate, Cedric revealed that he had known Lisa and her husband, Ken Todd, for nearly a decade before he relocated from the UK to LA to help them open their upscale Beverly Hills eatery Villa Blanca in 2009. During this time, Lisa quietly auditioned for RHOBH and mentioned that she had a “gay houseguest,” which piqued the interest of producers.
“So she got a call back and they insisted that we do the audition together at the house,” he said. But Lisa didn’t hear back from Bravo until a year later. According to Cedric, he and the restaurateur weren’t on good terms when she finally got the call. Because Lisa had sold producers on the idea of filming with Cedric, she told them a “little white lie” and said that the sexy waiter still lived under her roof.
It wasn’t long before Lisa called Cedric to “[apologize] in her way” in an effort to convince him to move back in and appear on the show. Cedric agreed. Despite making up, their already fractured friendship took another hit when Cedric broke up with Lisa’s good friend Lance Bass after he caught the ex-boy bander cheating.
Why Did Cedric Martinez and Lisa Vanderpump End Their Friendship?
Cedric said that Lisa wanted him and Lance — who is now married to artist Michael Turchin — to stay together, claiming that Lisa thought his relationship with Lance would garner publicity for Villa Blanca. “I understand her thinking process because she has made a lot of sacrifices in her life and she chose a certain path over something else,” said Cedric. “And I wasn’t willing to do this.”
Rather than reigniting his romance with Lance, Cedric started dating another Villa Blanca waiter — which Lisa did not approve of. Instead of following Lisa’s advice to split from his new flame, Cedric moved out of her home. Though he went on to describe Lisa as “very controlling,” he was quick to applaud her business savvy: “She has her hands on everything. And this is how she becomes a success. She’s very smart, so clever.”
Cedric also said that he believes Lisa was intent on having him join RHOBH so that he would refrain from spilling secrets about her marriage to Ken. “Before the show, I think, they felt threatened. Lisa, at the time, was a bit lonely,” said Cedric. “I’d been around her life for like 15, 16 years, so I became a confidante and she confided in me, and I was there for her and I loved her, and I still do…She kind of opened up a lot more and I found out a lot more stuff — a lot more than I thought. Any marriages have their struggles, any friendship has their struggles. I’ve never divulged anything private.”
Cedric never spoke poorly of Lisa and Ken’s over four decade-long union to the press. In fact, he told Reality Life that “they are an amazing team” and “will stick together no matter what.” Still, that didn’t stop Lisa from worrying that Cedric might sell stories about the couple to the media. “I will sue if he sells any stories about me,” she told Us Weekly in 2011. “I feel absolutely betrayed.”
As fans might recall of Cedric’s time on RHOBH, he delved deep into his troubled childhood, revealing that he was once homeless and raised by a prostitute mother. Cedric has claimed that Lisa encouraged him to share this information — which he said made him “uncomfortable” — as to make it seem like she saved him from a life in shambles. Because of his personal revelations, Cedric believes he suffered a great deal professionally, which ultimately caused him to have suicidal thoughts.
“It made my life so impossible. I was pushed so hard that I did try to OD. It was just too much. For me, after where I come from, and I loved them so much; I trusted them so much and after what happened nobody wanted to hire me,” the former food service worker and aspiring actor said. “I was even talking to Days Of Our Lives — that went down the drain. I would get disinvited to carpets — which is not a big deal, it’s just what it represents. I could not get work in a restaurant. I had no money!”
What Has Cedric Martinez Said About Lisa Vanderpump?
Cedric slammed his former bestie via Instagram in July 2020 after news broke that Villa Blanca permanently closed its doors.
The former Housewives sidekick claimed Lisa to be at her “old tricks” and “spinning” her “failure.”
“I remember everything Lisa. Deny all you want,” he wrote in his lengthy post, while accusing her of malice actions. “Your parents stopped talking to you, your brother too, you messed up Denise marriage, Paul stopped talking to you, friends for over 25 years … shame on you. You traded fame for what?”
Lisa Vanderpump Has ‘Regrets’ About Cedric Martinez Friendship
During a May 14, 2024, appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the host played a game of “regrets” with Lisa. Andy asked, “Do you regret your friendship with Cedric and having him live with you?” The SUR owner was quick with her reply, saying, “Oh yes. He had a free ride for a long time.” Lisa then wondered, “Where is he though? He just fell off the face of the planet,” before quipping, “If you’re watching this, please don’t come back,” to Cedric.
Where Is Cedric Martinez Today?
These days, Cedric — who has since returned home to England — has bounced back, working in hospitality. And, as he insisted to Reality Life, he would never entertain the thought coming back to reality TV: “I don’t want to be famous, just to be famous.”
Views: 0
