Photo: Instagram
And is he for-real walking down the aisle with LeeAnne?
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on Dec 20, 2018
Who is Rich Emberlin? If you consider yourself a fan of everything Bravo has to offer and you have slept on The Real Housewives of Dallas, then let's be honest: you aren't a real Bravo fan! The newest addition to the Housewives family, RHOD has only gotten bigger and better as it hit season 3 and a huge part of thanks to LeeAnne Locken, the former carny kid turned charity broker known just as much for her over-the-top temper as she is for her killer sense of style and humor.
For years, Leanne has shared her life with boyfriend Rich Emberlin. When the couple got engaged on the show last season fans couldn't wait to see what kind of wedding LeeAnne had planned for her special day. However, this season her friends began to suspect that things between LeeAnne and Rich weren't everything that they seemed to be and some viewers at home shared their concerns. After all, how much do we really know about Rich Emberlin, LeeAnne's long-term significant other. We did a little bit of digging, and here's the skinny on hottie silver fox Rich, the man who tamed the wild LeeAnne's heart!
1. His Time As A Police Officer
While plenty of boyfriends and husbands on Bravo shows are content to make being a quasi-celeb a full-time job, that's not the case for Rich.
Until his retirement in 2016, Rich served as a police officer for the city of Dallas, Texas for a total of 30 years! Yup, you read that right. This guy was putting his life on the line every single day for multiple decades.
And not just that, for 17 of those 30 years Rich was on the Dallas SWAT team! It's not the only high-ranking position he held while serving in the department either. According to his official Bravo TV bio, he also served on the Criminal Intelligence Unit-Dignitary Protection Squad. Day-um, Rich!
Rich's college newspaper, The North Texan, describes his career thusly:
"Rich has served as a patrol officer, in field training, and in undercover narcotics on the SWAT team for 15 years before transferring...to work in criminal intelligence with the police department’s dignitary protection unit."
His time on the force also meant that he made some pretty interesting friends! Rich and the late Chris Kyle, the Navy SEAL who wrote the book American Sniper and who was killed in 2013, were exceptionally close best friends prior to the latter's death. In case you need more context, Chris was later played by Bradley Cooper in the 2014 movie American Sniper directed by Clint Eastwood.
2. He's No Stranger To Reality TV
If you are a fan of The Real Housewives of Dallas (and if you're not, you clearly haven't watched this season yet), then you already know that Rich's personality doesn't begin and end with being a police officer. He's a man with a load of charisma and while he's not a starring cast member, when he does appear on the little screen, it's always a treat.
A large part of that is probably due to his personality but a little bit might have to do with the fact that this isn't Rich's first time on a TV show, nope, not by a long shot! In fact, Rich actually starred for three entire seasons on the A&E dramatic reality series, Dallas SWAT, chronicling his time as a member of the SWAT team.
The show was such a smash-hit success for the network that it actually inspired two different spin-offs! While Rich's foray on the show wasn't decades long there's no denying that three years on camera have taught a little bit about how to get the best edit on a reality show.
3. He's Been Married Before
This season on The Real Housewives of Dallas, LeeAnne's friends began pressuring her about setting a date for her wedding to Rich who proposed last year. LeeAnne played her cards close to her chest about why the planning seemed to have stalled, but when pressed she did admit that the fact that Rich has been married 3 times and divorced 3 times did give her serious pause about making things truly official.
LeeAnne said on the show that:
"I’ve been single for 50 years. I’ve never been married before. Rich has been married three times. I have no doubt in my mind that this is my soulmate but I also don’t want to put him in a position where it’s going to make him want to divorce me and leave me... He’s divorced three people so he’s obviously accepted that divorce is an option."
While Rich has been married before, he only has one child, a daughter named Elise, age 20. Thankfully, for LeeAnne who has no children, her bond with Elise has proven to be a strong one and a central one in her daily life.
4. The Story Behind The Eye Patch
When Rich was transferred to the SWAT division, some of his fellow police officers gave him a tough time about taking on such a cushy gig. But Rich pointed out that while the new gig might seem less dangerous, it definitely had its share of threats. In his time in this position he protected noted figures like the Dalai Lama giving the role the same focus and attention he did while on the SWAT team.
Rich was already thinking about retiring from the force when he was blinded in his left eye. It was the same eye that his brother shot with a BB gun when he was 13, and the eye would need serious rest before doctors would even consider operating.
While the accident caused Rich to fall into a brief depressive episode, there's no denying that the eye patch somehow just makes him even more appealing — like a sexy police officer crossed with a pirate!
But retirement hasn't slowed down Rich in the least. He now works as an instructor for Safariland Group where he uses the skills that he learned during his time in the field daily teaching explosives, breaches, and dignitary protection.
5. Why Her Friends Are Worried
If you found out your friend got engaged to a man who had already been married three times, you would probably be a little bit concerned on her behalf. But you would probably also back off if you knew her and her partner really well. Unfortunately, LeeAnne has experienced the first without the second.
In fact, on this season of RHOD, LeeAnne's erstwhile best friend Deandra Simmons approached LeeAnne about several rumors she heard about Rich's infidelity to her. In fact, one of the women rumored to have spoken to LeeAnne was one of Rich's exes! Combine this with the couple's delay in actually setting a date, and is it any wonder her friends would be concerned?
Still, LeeAnne and Rich are adults, and this relationship is theirs and theirs alone. Rich seems like a truly standup guy, and LeeAnne can't stop saying nice things about him. Whatever the rumors may be here's hoping that the duo works things out. We can't wait to see that big ol' wedding next season!
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cat, Batman. Her work focuses on relationships, pop culture and news. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.