Taylor Armstrong says late husband was abusive
By Associated Press
Sep 19, 2011 7:23 PM CDT
FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2011 file photo, television personality Taylor Armstrong, left, and husband Russell Armstrong attend a Super Bowl party in Dallas, Texas. Taylor Armstrong discusses her relationship with Russell Armstrong in an interview airing next week on "Entertainment Tonight." Russell Armstrong's...   (Associated Press)

Taylor Armstrong of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" said in a TV interview that her late husband subjected her to an abusive and frightening life.

On a segment of "Entertainment Tonight" airing Tuesday, Armstrong talks about her marriage with Russell Armstrong, who committed suicide last month, and its effect on their daughter.

"He grabbed me by the neck and shoved me against the wall and he said, `If you ever make my children a pizza without a vegetable again, I'll kill you," Taylor Armstrong told "Entertainment Tonight," according to a transcript from the entertainment news program.

The couple was estranged when Russell Armstrong, 47, hanged himself on Aug. 15. He was depressed about financial issues and problems with his wife, according to a coroner's report.

Taylor Armstrong says she explained his death carefully to her young daughter.

"I just told her Daddy got sick and he died, and that we could pick a star in the sky that could be daddy and that she could talk to him every night," she told "Entertainment Tonight."

Taylor Armstrong filed for divorce on July 15. Russell Armstrong had yet to respond to her petition when he committed suicide.

Russell Armstrong addressed rumors about the couple's problems in an interview with People magazine in July:

"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."