Heather Makes a Bold Declaration About Gretchen & Slade’s Future: “She Told Me…” (EXCLUSIVE)

Even though more than a decade has passed since Gretchen Rossi‘s rooftop proposal to Slade Smiley on The Real Housewives of Orange County in 2013, the “life partners” are still not legally married — and Heather Dubrow, for one, does not foresee that changing.

“No, I don’t think they’ll ever get married,” Heather declared on The Real Housewives of Orange County After Show, noting that Gretchen was “very clear” in Season 19, Episode 11, about keeping her and Slade’s finances and assets separate.

After Shannon Storms Beador threw in her two cents that she thought the parents to 6-year-old Skylar Gray Smiley “would get married for their daughter’s sake” and “outline” their financials in a prenup, Heather dismissed her castmate’s “old school” thought process.

“I get that,” Heather replied. “But the truth is, like, she told me she could never marry him.”

RELATED: Emily Simpson Reveals a Jaw-Dropping Off-Camera Moment From Heather’s Sleepover (EXCLUSIVE)

Shannon, meanwhile, countered, “But it’s for the financial reasons, not that she didn’t care about him,” to which Heather shot back, “But then why propose with a helicopter? You’re not marrying him.”

Shannon Beador and Heather Dubrow sitting together during the RHOC Season 19 Aftershow

Gretchen Rossi denies Heather Dubrow’s claim that Slade Smiley’s debt affected their relationship

Elsewhere on the RHOC After Show, Jennifer Pedranti echoed earlier claims that Heather and other cast members made, telling Gretchen directly that she’d also heard “the reason you guys couldn’t get married was because you were worried about finances.”

Gretchen’s response? “That’s not true.”

RELATED: Gretchen Rossi Gives Peek at Life with Slade & Their Kid — Including Reunion with RHONJ Alum

When the subject arose on RHOC’s Sept. 18 episode, a flashback to 2012 confirmed Gretchen told Heather that Slade was “trying to get caught up on some of [his] back debt,” at the time, and she didn’t “wanna take it on” in a potential marriage.

Those worries have since dissipated over the past thirteen years, however, according to Gretchen.

“It’s not even that it’s all handled,” Gretchen explained to Heather and Emily Simpson during their fancy Beverly Hills sleepover. “I just feel like I’ve been with him for 16 years and I know who he is. And I feel much more confident.”

Gretchen Rossi explains why she and Slade Smiley are not legally married

A split of Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley

During the same post-slumber party brunch, Gretchen also updated the two that she actually “would love to” marry Slade now.

“We tell everybody we’re husband and wife,” she elaborated in a confessional. “And we actually did a ceremony with an ordained pastor. Paper doesn’t make us married or not. In God’s eyes and in our eyes, we’re married.”

Gretchen previously told that story on a separate episode of Season 19’s RHOC After Show, revealing that she and Slade exchanged vows on New Year’s Eve 2022.

“It was between him and me and God,” Gretchen said. “We wanted to know that we have that for ourselves and for our daughter. Skylar was there, and it was a really special moment.”

Related: Wait, Gretchen and Slade Are Already Married? Get Details in Shocking RHOC After Show Trailer

Clarifying that she doesn’t feel a “need to” make the marriage legal, Gretchen did list two reasons why she and Slade may still officially walk down the aisle in the future.

“I don’t want people to keep asking, ‘When are you ever gonna get married?'” she shared. “So, I’m kind of just like, if I do it more publicly, then I think people will stop asking that.”

Gretchen’s second reason? “I do think there’s something to be said for, like, having the pictures, and then Sky getting to see that one day when she’s older. Like, ‘Oh, this is when Mommy and Daddy got married.’ That sort of thing. So, I love the whole, like, concept behind, like, having those memories behind it.”

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Get more of the RHOC cast’s takes on their romance by watching the video above, and don’t miss the latest update on Gretchen and Slade’s family life today.