'RHOSLC' Meredith Marks Explains Move To France, Prioritized Mental Health And Found Zen

Meredith Marks has had a challenging year which led her to pack up from her residence on a journey toward finding tranquillity.

Marks walked away from her family, friends, and life in Salt Lake City in Utah and flew to Provence in France following issues with her castmates and some family complications.

The TV personality is back home and opened up about finding her zen after escaping for months to prioritize her mental health.

Marks recently opened up to Page Six about coming out of a tough period that came about due to the passing of her beloved father and her nephew Alex Ruttenberg’s battle with addiction.

The "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star's drastic location change from the US to France was also fueled by unresolved tension from her castmates. She said,

It was a trying year. There were some pretty dark times. As you know, I like to disengage. So at the end of last winter, I left Utah. I didn't come back here for about five or six months.

Marks admitted that she desired the needed space and time to come to terms with everything in her life, within her friendship group and her family.

The TV Personality's retreat to Provence's lavender fields was what she needed. She explained, "It was a very spiritual journey for me. I left. I just needed time to decompress and heal myself."

Marks said that it does not hurt to have therapy, and she really needed to leave and take a lot of time to be with herself. 

Now, she has found the strength to champion the cause of mental health for others. She got candid about how her nephew battled with substance abuse, saying,

“My nephew went through a really difficult time that culminated last year, but it started long before. He had suffered from addiction, and most addiction issues tend to be tied to mental health."

Marks expressed that Ruttenberg had visited many facilities to seek help with his debacle, but the failure to find a solution led him to attempt to end his life.

Fortunately, Marks said she and others involved were able to get her nephew the right help but noted that therapy is never one size fits all.

The outlet shared that the jewelry designer hosted a fashion show last week at the Salt Lake City’s Museum of Contemporary Art to help her cause at the ADR Foundation. 

The Foundation founders are Marks' sister Myra, Ruttenberg, and his mother. They aim to aid other families through the often expensive emotional recovery process from addiction and other battles.

“The goal of ADR is to help others with their struggles." Marks explained. "My sister is really working towards finding the right facilities to donate to right now."

Inspired by the life-saving moment Ruttenberg experienced, Marks wants to guide other families to the places that would help them with their mental health debacles and cover the costs too.

Marks' unresolved tension with her "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" co-stars also influenced her to escape to Provence. Before then, she wanted to fix the broken relationship. 

Last January, The Blast disclosed that the TV personality opened up about wanting more closure after she and her castmates sat down for their first reunion special with host Andy Cohen.

Marks told Hollywood Life during an episode of their IGTV Series "TV Talk" that the filming went on for a very long time as those present had a lot to discuss. 

The ADR Foundation co-founder said the reunion was intense, as the host brought up the happenings of the last winter to the table at the sit-down.

Despite this, Marks was unable to make amends as she hoped. She said, “I personally do not feel that a lot of things got resolved. Some did, some did not.”

The mental health activist felt that more resolution was needed for her and others involved. She clarified, "From my point of view, it’s not just me who still has outstanding issues that need resolution. I think most of the ladies probably do."