Alison Victoria 'Hasn't Stopped Moving Forward' After Split from Former “Windy City Rehab” Costar: 'Donovan Who?' (Exclusive)
After going "through hell and back," the designer tells PEOPLE how she's continued to bounce back — and what fans can expect to see on the new season of the HGTV series
HGTV
Alison Victoria on HGTV's Windy City RehabHGTV star Alison Victoria is the first to admit that she's "been through hell and back."
"There was no choice but to go through it. And through that, everyone got to see what integrity means. Everyone got to see how I showed up and how I never walked away from these problems, how I dealt with them head on and how it cost me everything," she tells PEOPLE ahead of the latest season of Windy City Rehab, which returns with new episodes on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
As documented on the show, the 42-year-old designer had to navigate a series of setbacks that were, in large part, caused by former business partner and co-star Donovan Eckhardt, who exited the series in 2020 after his alleged mishandling of company finances.
During his final episodes on Windy City Rehab, Eckhardt's general contractor and developer licenses were suspended while he and Victoria faced various stop-work orders and lawsuits — all of which was later compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden death of her father, leaving Victoria "not knowing what was going to happen next" at the time.
Related: HGTV Star Alison Victoria Goes Instagram Official with New Boyfriend Brandt Andersen After Divorce
However, last season saw Victoria push past all those controversies — and since then, she has refocused her energy on helping clients design their dream homes, grown her business and kept moving forward.
In fact, when asked if there's anything that Eckhardt did that's still lingering over her attempt to bounce back, Victoria quips to PEOPLE, "Well, I would first say, 'Donovan who?' "
"It is so far behind me that I don't even look back," she continues. "But I know it's so important because when people come up to me, they say, 'I love your show, I love you and watching you go through that has helped me. Thank you for being vulnerable. Thank you for showing it.' "
But there were moments when Victoria didn't want to put it all on camera. "There were so many times I didn't want anybody to see me crying," she says, before realizing the whole point of Windy City Rehab was "to tell the truth at all costs."
Through the series, she was able to show that she's not the only one who has been through this and how much she's learned along the way. "And that's the most beautiful part of life, right? Like, when you fall, how do you choose to climb your way back out? Because a lot of people might just sit in it, or be like, 'Woe is me.' There's no time for that," Victoria says. "It's time to get up and just go forward. And I haven't stopped moving forward and I continue to show that to people because resiliency is real."
"You see the resilience every season that has happened after that," she continues.
HGTV
Alison Victoria on HGTV's Windy City RehabIn the end, "it was worth the cost," the designer says because not only was she "able to pick myself up every morning and dust myself off," she also learned to let go of things that were out of her control.
One example of that was being able to let go of her dream home, which was a 6,250-square-foot office warehouse in Chicago's Logan Square that was converted into a live-work oasis equipped with everything she's ever wanted. The transformation was documented on the spinoff Windy City Rehab: Alison’s Dream Home, which aired in 2023.
In May, it was reported that she listed her home (initially for $3.5 million) — and the decision was also teased in the trailer for the new season of Windy City Rehab as she considers getting back into flipping homes.
"For me, it was not an easy decision because, like, you build a dream home and you wanna live in it and enjoy it. And then you go, 'Wait a minute, but the only way to get back into what I love is to sell what I love also,' " she says of the double-edged sword that comes with being in the home reno and flipping business. Because of that, "it has allowed me to not become so attached to things… I can love it, but I can also let it go."
The house, Victoria says matter-of-factly, was never meant to be her "forever home" — but "it was the dream and I accomplished it. And it's on to the next dream."
And that dream, as highlighted on the show, is returning to what she loves most. But Victoria also admits it was not an easy thing to get back into. "For me, it's like you can dig your way out but then still be scared to get back in," she says. "And so that's why, for me, doubling down on the client game was really important — to be able to get myself into a position to feel comfortable doing it again."
This time around, she made sure to do her homework and tried to make informed decisions on the properties that she was going to invest in. "It's definitely a difficult decision because you have to be meticulous. Like, I'm doing it more meticulously."
The other key difference about returning to the flipping side of her business is "not doing it with anybody, not relying on anybody but myself to do it," she says. "That is the most important part. I don't want to ever have a partner because I'm my partner, right? I'm gonna show up for me, I'm not gonna let myself down and I'm gonna make myself proud."
While reflecting on the new season of Windy City Rehab, Victoria concludes, "I'm really proud of myself."
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Windy City Rehab returns with new episodes starting Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.
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