Tamar Braxton is one happy woman in 2012. Her family’s show, “Braxton Family Values” recently debuted at number one, her husband Vincent Herbert is walking again after suffering a pulmonary embolism (like Heavy D and model Mia Amber Davis) in November, and she’s currently taping her own reality show, which will air later on this year.
“I’m elated at the moment,” she says, back home in Los Angeles after spending New Years Eve in Times Square with Vince, and Lady Gaga (Vince’s artist). The youngest Braxton sister took some time to chat with ESSENCE.com about the new show, “Tamar & Vince,” Vince’s health, and whether or not this will be the year she finally has a baby.
ESSENCE.com: Congratulations on getting your own reality show. How did it come about?
TAMAR BRAXTON: It was the fans of “Braxton Family Values” who demanded it. I kept hearing people say, ‘You should have your own show.’ They wanted to know what was behind the dot com’s and where I get all this energy from. I just thought it would be a great for them to see that there is another side. The Tamar on “Braxton Family Values” is real, but that’s me in the sister role. I do have another side: Tamar, the wife. I’m still animated, but in a different kind of way.
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ESSENCE.com: Were you surprised the network offered you a reality show?
BRAXTON: Yeah, I actually was. I always thought of myself as part of the “Braxton Family Values” show, which is about sisterhood and womanhood. The network approached Vince and I. We thought about it, prayed about it, and we decided to do it.
ESSENCE.com: How is Vince doing after suffering a pulmonary embolism in November?
BRAXTON: We just got home after three months in New York because he was sick. He’s now walking, he’s not in a wheelchair. We’re grateful. He’s probably the healthiest he’s ever been. He had a pulmonary embolism along with a lung attack – which is like the heart attack of the lungs. We’ve changed our lives. He exercises, he eats right. There are no longer sodas in our house. It’s been a lot for us to go through.
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ESSENCE.com: So besides getting to meet Tamar, the wife, what else will we see on “Tamar & Vince”?
BRAXTON: You’ll get to see that Tamar has a brain, and I’m a businesswoman. There are a lot of business ventures that I’m working on right now that I’m really excited about.
ESSENCE.com: It’s a new year. What are your goals for 2012?
BRAXTON: To enjoy myself and not have any regrets. I feel like Vince and I have a second chance to do the things that we really want to do. I don’t know if I’ll have a baby this year, but that’s definitely in our plans. [laughs] Well, it’s the thought. It wasn’t a thought last year.
Look out for “Vince and Tamar” on WeTV later this year.