Top execs at Bravo now believe his cold and callous demeanor can be traced to the fact that he was in the closet while playing the role of a ladies' man, a network source told The Post.
"People with skeletons in their closets should not go on reality shows, because sooner or later, it's going to come out," a Bravo insider told The Post.
"I'm constantly amazed at what people think they can hide. He was a fraud, and it was coming out," the insider said of the facade Armstrong maintained as a married millionaire when he was secretly gay and possibly penniless.
Meanwhile, Armstrong's family blamed the cable network for his suicide and blasted producers for portraying the venture capitalist in an unflattering light.
Armstrong's crumbling marriage was a key story line on the show last season.
He frequently treated his estranged wife, Taylor, 40, with disdain and would attempt to undermine her, especially in matters concerning their 5-year-old daughter, Kennedy.
He was equally cold to his real-life girlfriend and ex-wife, both of whom took out restraining orders.
Armstrong's bad behavior turned him into the target of vicious barbs from other members of the cast.
In an interview on CNN's HLN channel, Armstrong's mother, John Ann Hotchkiss, said he was hurt by the insults and anxious about the new season.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/08/19/housewives-suicide-shocker-russell-armstrong-had-secret-sex-life-report-says/#ixzz1VYTZFKL1
