Here are excerpts from a story on Gretchen.

Rossi met Beitzel, who'd been married several times before, through her work as a real estate agent. She describes him as a loving, generous man and "the first person to take the shirt off his back to help somebody else."

She says he encouraged her to join "Real Housewives" after she was approached through previous cast members Jo De La Rosa and Slade Smiley.

"I think he saw it as a great opportunity to do something different," she says. "It would be something fun and different to do, instead of just focus on the cancer."

According to Rossi, they also felt that "a lot of people across the country ... could relate to what it was Jeff was going through and how difficult it was."

What some fans may not know is that Beitzel passed away in September, after filming for the fourth season was finished.
She's blogged that she spent most of her days at the hospital with Beitzel "and what you see on the show is really about 5% of where my time was spent."

Talking about her caretaking role, Rossi says, "I think a lot of people miss that when they're seeing the show. They just see that this man is sick and I don't work."

"The Real Housewives of Orange County," which has spawned spinoffs in New York City and Atlanta, is known for giving a glimpse into lives of privilege. But there are story lines with a serious edge, such as Lauri Waring Peterson's worries over her son's battle with drug addiction.

Rossi says the first month after Beitzel passed away, "there were days that I just really didn't get out of bed."

Right now, she's back working in real estate. Eventually, she wants to meet the right person again and start a family.

"I know Jeff would want that for me," she says