Tamera Mowry-Housley's emotional return to 'The Real' after niece killed in Thousand Oaks shooting

On Monday’s The Real, co-host Tamera Mowry-Housley made an emotional return to the show after the death of her 18-year-old niece, Alaina, who was killed in a mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Nov. 7.

“Our family’s been through a lot,” Mowry-Housley said. “But the interesting thing about grief is that you’ve gotta find the balance of moving forward and grieving at the same time. It’s just been a little over two weeks.”

Alaina was laid to rest on Nov. 15, and Mowry-Housley thanked everyone for their love and support over the past few weeks and explained why she returned to work.

“She would want me to be here. And she would want me, sweet Alaina, to move forward,” Mowry-Housley said. “I don’t like to say move on, because I don’t think I’ll ever move on with the fact that she’s not here with me or with our family.”

Mowry-Housley also said her niece would want her to use Alaina’s voice as a catalyst for change, adding that Alaina was a debater and would want her to debate the issues at hand — in this case, gun violence.

“It’s obvious we need change when it comes to gun violence. And I don’t care if I have to knock on the doors of the White House to do it,” Mowry-Housley said. “Our country is sick. It’s diseased. It needs healing. It needs healing from within.”

The Real airs weekdays; check your local listings.

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