“Jordan would put me down a lot. Marciano told me how pretty and cool and fun I was,” Jessi said of her marriage to Jordan and what led to her “emotional affair” with Marciano.
Jessi Draper Ngatikaura is opening up about her “toxic” marriage.
In Season Three of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Jessi’s affair with Marciano Brunette, a cast member of fellow Hulu show Vanderpump Villa, comes to light. It comes after Season Two ended on the cliffhanger of Layla Taylor discovering the allegations of the affair from Marciano himself.
Jessi revealed the pair did have an “emotional affair” and kissed twice while she and her husband, Jordan Ngatikaura, were going through issues. Jessi admitted that she began to see cracks in her relationship with Jordan a year into their marriage, claiming she had been undergoing “emotional abuse” from him.
“As soon as it started happening, I was like, ‘Oh, this isn’t super normal,’ but also, you’re kind of used to it,” Jessi told PEOPLE.
“It starts off slow. It’s not like one big dramatic thing happens. It’s little behaviors over time, and then all of a sudden you look back and you’re too deep in it and you can’t do much about it,” she continued.
“So I would say over time, I started to realize it. And then I just had a glass-breaking moment when I left him in [Season Three] where I was like, ‘I have to do something or else this is never going to change,'” she explained.
Jessi and Jordan’s relationship is one of the main storylines throughout Season Three of the reality series where fans will see both parties share their sides of the issue to the group. Jordan invited all of MomTok and their partners — except Jessi — over for a BBQ to discuss the relationship.
‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Cast Give Their Honest Thoughts on DadTok: ‘Wasn’t Stoked Initially’ (Exclusive)
View Story
Demi Engemann — Jessi’s former best friend — spent the episodes she was a part of claiming Jessi is lying about her affair with Marciano and the two, in fact, had sex.
“I did feel a connection to him,” Jessi said of her relationship with Marciano to Us Weekly.
“In that sense because he was there for me and he made me feel special. Jordan would put me down a lot. Marciano told me how pretty and cool and fun I was. I felt like there was a connection there because he was giving me something I was lacking. But I wouldn’t say I was in love with him,” she explained to the publication.
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Layla Has No Hard Feelings With DWTS After Not Being Cast (Exclusive)
View Story
In a statement to PEOPLE, Jordan said: “I take full accountability for the pain I caused Jessi during our marriage. At that time in my life, I was deeply unhealed, and as the saying goes, hurt people hurt people. That doesn’t excuse my behavior in any way, it’s something I’ve had to face and take full responsibility for.”
Jordan revealed that he has been in “consistent therapy” to understand the impact of his actions “to grow into a healthier, safer, and more self aware person.”
He said he is now focused on being “the best father and husband” he can.
