Real Housewives of New York stars Luann de Lesseps and Bethenny Frankel know firsthand how longtime friendships can sometimes take an ugly turn for the worse.
On Tuesday, while attending a New York City book signing event for costar Barbara Kavovit‘s new novel, Heels of Steel, the Countess spoke to ET about the status of her friendship with Frankel.
After all, everyone was quite concerned after the episode featuring their explosive fight in Miami aired on Monday night.
Related: Luann de Lesseps Admits Being ‘Self-Absorbed’ After Drunken Arrest!
The 54-year-old admitted how hard it was for her to watch the backdated episode, noting how much things have changed since it all played out in real time.
She explained:
“It’s something that happened, you know, over six months ago so it’s always hard to see that again because we’ve gotten to a different place.
It was tough. I felt really bad because I know there were a lot of things going on in there and it wasn’t just about me. I think I handled it pretty well considering.”
In case you missed the ep, here’s a quick refresher of what went down:
Luann was confronted by Kavovit and Tinsley Mortimer for behaving in a way they felt was selfish while on the girls’ trip. In her own defense, Luann shot down those claims and seemingly brushed off her pals’ concerns.
Shortly after, Bethenny erupted with anger and went OFF on the Countess, accusing her of being an absolutely “insufferable” friend, and for not showing enough gratitude after she went out of her way to help with the star’s ongoing battle for sobriety.
Reacting to her friend’s name-calling, de Lesseps told ET:
“It was a tough moment and I think, as we go back a long time, I think that friends do get angry at each other and they do yell at each other. If you don’t care, you don’t bother with people, right? So I thought it was a true show of her love for me.”
Well, we suppose that is one way to show someone you love them. We’ve all gotten under a friend’s skin at one point or another. Not the preferred way to go about expressing yourself though.
Just sayin’!!
The Feelin Jovani singer acknowledged the groups’ concerns about her less-than-stellar behavior, but also admitted she there was “a lot of it I don’t agree with”:
“I don’t think people understand how hard it was to not drink on that trip because there was a lot of drinking going on in a big way…. You know it may come off as being self-centered, but I really had to take care of me. The most important thing to me is my sobriety, so that comes first. It may get misconstrued as being a narcissist, but that’s not me at all and people who know me a long time [know] that’s not who I am.”
She added:
“I just think that having to take care of yourself takes a lot of energy and sometimes you don’t have anything to give.”
As we reported in May, Luann evaded jail time after violating her probation for reportedly drinking two mimosas after a performance in Chicago.
In lieu of prison, she was able to strike a deal, consisting of weekly telephone counseling, monthly meetings in person with a psychiatrist, a breathalyzer in her car, and a prescription for alcohol addiction drug Antabuse.
Considering the legal and emotional turmoil that’s come of her struggles with sobriety, we can understand why she took a step back from engaging in activities the way everyone else without alcoholic restrictions did.
The blow up with Bethenny was about more than that though…
Frankel expressed the deep hurt and sadness she says came as a result of de Lesseps lack of support following her late fiancé Dennis Shields‘ death.
Though the conflict at hand initially had nothing to do with that bit, the star says she let the woman air out her grievances because she knew that part cut a bit deeper:
“I didn’t say very much because I felt like [it was best to] just let her vent. It was not time to, like, stand up and go after her. She had a full on breakdown.”
Sounds like it was just as overwhelming for her in the moment as it was for us watching it on TV!
Life happens, circumstances change. And sometimes unspeakable tragedy or hardships can bring out a different side of people you might have never expected to see.
Good thing these two found a way to move past the difficult moment between them.
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Sound off on all things RHONY in the comments below.
[Image via Derrick Salters/ Patricia Schlein/WENN]
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