The former CNN broadcaster says the show was not the uplifting experience she was promised and she had to remove herself from “sadistic” people who were out to destroy her.She walks away on Sunday night with three episodes left.“Everyone did think I would come back and kept waiting for me to walk through the door like ‘surprise’,’’ Rao said.“Other people are absolutely hell-bent on destroying my reputation and I’m afraid I can’t let that happen because it’s my only currency. “Kyla (Kirkpatrick) was like, ‘come back, defend yourself’ …Why? Defend myself against what? Against complete crap someone states and the only way to defend myself is to get into their gutter with them. “And I don’t care how much Dolce & Gabbana you put on a sewer rat, it’s still a sewer rat and I will not get into their sewer with them. I’ve got to protect my professional reputation and that’s exactly where it was.”Rao has already gone on the front foot against trolls after copping some abusive messages and was bracing for backlash despite “98 per cent” of the comments being favourable.She said it upset her seeing her friends Kirkpatrick and Cherry Dipietrantonio being treated poorly and the final straw came when she was bombarded with abusive text messages.“Watching people who matter to me being torn to pieces over nothing, total lies, I thought this is not what I was told it was going to be and I had to make my decision,’’ Rao said.“Things got particularly dark when I was at home with my son trying to take care of him and had a very severe chest infection and I was getting an absolute torrent of vile text abuse.“It was so abusive and disgusting and this is what was happening off camera. We weren’t even shooting that day and it was so rough, I’ve never been spoken to like that and I thought this is really where we’re at. “It was meant to be smart and uplifting, moments of drama, sure, but I didn’t know. It’s sadistic and that’s not something that I’m about. That started it all. I was going to production you’ve got to make it stop, please make it stop, but it just carried on.”Despite her first stint on reality TV not going to plan, Rao is keen to explore more, saying she’d be up for doing I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! or SAS Australia.“My agent says because you’re so polished I’m a Celeb is coming for you,’’ she said. “It makes me laugh when people say that. I absolutely would not shut the door to that because reality TV is where it’s at these days.”Real Housewives of Melbourne airs 8.30pm Sundays on Foxtel
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