Southern Charm cameras were rolling when Olivia Flowers got the news her brother, Conner Flowers, had passed away.
Viewers witnessed Leva Bonaparte and Venita Aspen get the shocking news as they were waiting for Olivia to show up to meet them.
The aftermath of Olivia’s world being shattered caused the Charmers to come together to support her. Even Austen Kroll stepped up to be there for her as he could relate in a way no one else could.
It’s been nine months since Conner passed, and Olivia is finally ready to talk about everything in hopes that she can help someone in a similar situation.
Conner was always the life of the party, and his loss has taken a toll on Olivia and her family. They were all incredibly close, and now, a part of them is missing.
The Southern Charm star spoke with PEOPLE about Conner and what caused him to pass away so young.
Olivia Flowers reveals how Conner Flowers died
When it first was revealed Conner Flowers passed away, there were no details given.
However, Olivia Flowers is ready to share her brother’s struggles.
The Southern Charm beauty told the publication, “Like most siblings, Conner and I have always been very protective of each other. So discussing this loss with a larger audience hasn’t been easy. But I definitely want to step outside my comfort zone and use my platform to shed some light and awareness and possibly help others, because I know I’d be honoring Conner in some way by doing that.”
She was realistic in knowing that people would be shocked to learn the actual cause of his death, even some who knew Conner.
Olivia said, “My brother hated talking about his illness. So many people, even in his close circle, didn’t know about his Lyme. So again, to hear he died of a fentanyl overdose, there’s immediately going to be this assumption that he was partying. Conner wasn’t like that. This was a relapse. This was his means to survive.”
Olivia Flowers talked about Conner Flowers’ Lyme disease
Conner Flowers was in treatment for Lyme disease for over half of his life.
Oliva Flowers detailed how debilitating the disease got for her brother, including forcing him to give up golf — one of the things he loved and earned a scholarship to college because of it.
Along his journey to get successful treatment, Conner was prescribed opiates and Xanax, which Olivia said were hard to kick.
He tried rehab on a few occasions to be able to kick the usage, and he just wasn’t able to beat it.
Olivia stressed that Conner was private about his life with Lyme and even more private about his battle trying to get off the medication he was prescribed. This wasn’t a recreational thing, according to the Southern Charm star. It was part of his treatment, and coming off of them was a nightmare.
This step toward being honest and open about Conner’s struggles will hopefully help Olivia process things and work on helping people in similar situations.
Southern Charm airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo.