The reality star said she had doubts about Ayers for months.
“I got duped.”
It’s the confession Real Housewives of Orange County fans have been waiting for all season long: Vicki Gunvalson finally copped to lying about ex-boyfriend Brooks Ayers and his cancer diagnosis after she was cornered by her co-stars at the season 10 reunion.
Gunvalson made the big admission after Shannon Beador confronted her about saying Heather Dubrow’s husband, plastic surgeon Terry Dubrow, had cared for an ailing Ayers.
“You want to know the truth?” Gunvalson asked. “I fabricated, because I really was looking for compassion from somebody in this group.”
Gunvalson flip-flopped throughout the hour on whether she believes Ayers to have cancer, saying she has no proof he has it, and no proof he doesn’t have it.
"I didn't know he was lying," Gunvalson said. "If he is faking it, I look like an idiot ... my gut says he doesn't have it."
Gunvalson said she hadn’t come to that conclusion until last month, before revealing she actually had doubts about Ayers’ cancer for more than three months.
WATCH: EXCLUSIVE: Real Housewives Star Brooks Ayers Speaks Out on 'Fake Cancer' Claims
“Briana just made a statement to me that he used to make you lie for him,” Dubrow interjected, referencing Gunvalson’s daughter, Briana Culberson, who was next to her.
“I’m not going to admit that,” Gunvalson said. “Nobody wants to feel duped or be taken advantage of.”
Andy Cohen then popped up to ask Gunvalson if she was scared of Ayers. All she did was quietly nod, “Yes.” Culberson jumped in to say she saw Ayers be abusive toward her mom.
“What do you mean by that?” Gunvalson asked. “When he shook my shoulders in the hallway? … It wasn’t like he took me out of bed and beat the hell out of me … He was more verbally abusive than physical.”
WATCH: Vicki Gunvalson's Daughter, Briana, Claims Brooks Ayers Offered to Show Her His Privates
“I saw him shake her so hard that her head was going back and forth,” Culberson said. “If he can do that in a room full of 15 people, then what is he doing when you guys are alone?”
Tamra Judge dropped another big bomb about Ayers on the reunion, saying Gunvalson wanted to leave her then-husband, Donn, in 2007 to be with him. Gunvalson didn’t split from her husband until 2010.
“My very first year on the show, Vicki and I, we clicked immediately,” Judge said. “And she called me and said, ‘Somebody I was very close to has cancer. It was somebody I have a connection with, and now I regret never carrying on this connection … pancreatic cancer, and he’s dying, and I feel like I need to go be with him, and leave Donn and be with the guy.’ And I said, ‘Wow. OK.’ She was crying, all this stuff. It was Brooks, and he lied then.”
Now, Gunvalson is adamant she will never get back together with her ex, even mumbling, “So glad it’s over,” while watching a clip of Ayers defending himself at the reunion. When asked if they believe Gunvalson and Ayers are done for good, Gunvalson’s co-stars stayed silent.
WATCH: RHOC Star Vicki Gunvalson Gets Candid About Split From Brooks Ayers
More of Ayers one-on-one interview with Andy Cohen will air on Bravo on Nov. 12. Ayers has denied all the accusations brought against him regarding faking cancer and abusing Gunvalson.
Watch the video below to hear more of Ayers’ side of the story -- and what he told ET about Gunvalson’s co-stars “manufacturing drama.”