Russell Armstrong's Alleged Violent Past Revealed

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A rep for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong confirms to ET that the reality star required hospitalization and plastic surgery after her estranged husband Russell, who committed suicide this week, allegedly hit her in the face.

RadarOnline.com reports the incident sent Taylor to the emergency room of Cedars Sinai hospital in June. The damage to her face was so extensive that she spent days in the hospital and had to have reconstructive surgery, according to the website. 

A source, quoted by RadarOnline, said Taylor wore heavy makeup after the surgery to conceal the extent of the damage, but the source added that other cast members from the show and people from the Bravo network knew about the incident while the show continued to film. 

Russell, 47, was found dead Monday night and the L.A. Country Coroner has ruled his death a suicide by hanging

Taylor had filed for divorce from Russell last month. In a recent interview with People magazine, the reality star alleged that she was verbally and physically abused during the couple's nearly six-year marriage. She said the couple often had explosive arguments in which Russell would curse and call her names and it would sometimes escalate from there. At times, Taylor said Russell resorted to physical violence, including grabbing her, throwing objects, shoving her and pulling her hair. "I felt like I was dying inside," Taylor told the magazine. "Now, there's some sense of peace," she said at the time.

Russell acknowledged the relationship was rocky and was quoted by People as
saying: "Did I push her? Yes, maybe things happened in the heat of the
moment, but it was during a time in our lives that was not
characteristic of who we were. This show has literally pushed us to the
limit."