Get to Know Heather Gay — Unexpected Facts about the RHOSLC Blond Bombshell

TV personality Heather Gay, best known as a cast member of “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” was married to a Mormon and now thinks of herself as “Mormon-ish.”

Heather Gay, who runs a Med-Spa business called Beauty Lab and Laser, already was a devout Mormon before marrying her ex-husband, Billy Gay, as her family is also Mormon.

Talking to Decider, she described herself as a “purebred, pedigree, pioneer Mormon” as her ancestors settled in Utah as pioneers. If that wasn’t enough, Billy is also a Mormon, and not just any Mormon.

HEATHER GAY’S MORMON FAMILY

Billy’s family is extremely wealthy, and the late business magnate and film producer Howard Hughes played a big part in that. According to Heather, Hughes hired Billy’s grandfather as his driver.

The late millionaire grew fond of Billy’s family in such a way that, when he passed, he left them a significant portion of his estate. Since the Gay family is worth billions, Heather admitted she married into “Mormon royalty.”

Unfortunately, they parted ways after being married for 11 years. The reason? She grew tired of the conservative teachings of the church and all her limitations as a woman.

After her divorce, things got complicated, especially because Mormons frown at divorces. Eventually, she walked away from the church and now believes she’s a “good Mormon gone bad” because she goes through life following her own rules.

HEATHER AND BILLY'S CUSTODY ARRANGEMENT

Heather and her ex-partner share three daughters, Ashley, Georgia, and Annabelle, and their custody arrangement is not as common as one might think.

The TV personality has full custody and is entirely in charge of raising their three daughters, while Billy supports them financially. She admitted that things are very amicable between them, and it works.

Heather also described their arrangement in the simplest way possible: “I do the work, and he pays the bills.” But it is not like she’s incapable of providing for herself and her daughters.

According to Decider, Heather Gay’s Beauty Lab and Laser is valued at over $20 million (as of November 2020). Apart from that, she is also part of the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” cast.

Since divorcing Billy, Heather has been discovering how to be independent.

JOINING THE CAST OF “RHOSLC”

In a conversation with Heavy, Heather revealed that she initially thought the show was about businesswomen living in Salt Lake City, Utah – not another installment of the “Real Housewives” franchise.

She only learned the truth two weeks before the show was announced. Still, she has loved being a part of the show and even said that filming was “crazy fun.”

About the franchise, Heather Gay admitted that she watched and admired all the “Housewives” over the years for being willing to put their lives in front of the cameras no matter what.

The proud mother of three confessed she always had empathy towards and was grateful for the “Real Housewives” cast members because audiences get to escape into their lives.

LEARNING TO LIVE AGAIN

Since divorcing Billy, Heather has been discovering how to be independent. Because she used to be told that she was nothing without her church or marriage, she’s been dealing with (and recovering from) an existential crisis.

Heather’s life story and that recovering process are depicted in “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” but when she has to talk about the Mormon faith on camera, she does it with caution. She once admitted she didn't know how to function after the divorce.

The reality star confessed that while she feels compelled to expose what made her walk away from her faith and teach her daughters differently, most of her life is tied to Mormonism.

Finally, Heather Gay knows that “RHOSLC” is filled with dramatic situations, but she wants the audience to understand that it’s not all about that as they have a lot of fun together.