Real Housewives of New York will finally be returning! After a year-long hiatus while the show restructured and went through casting warfare, all of last season's ladies will finally be back along with new addition Kristen Taekman.
LuAnn de Lesseps was the last lady to sign her contract and rumor has it she accepted a pay cut in order to return. LuAnn admits because of the contract battle she won't be appearing until the third episode of the new season – and not only that her role has been reduced. So what made LuAnn return?
"The show has been a part of my life for so long," LuAnn told E! News. "There's a special place in my heart for the show, for the women, I'm really close to the women on the show. I just made the decision to step back so I can spend more time doing my things with business and my family."
Don't worry though – she's still causing trouble! "The drama is unavoidable. So yes, I'm a part of the drama—absolutely!"
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"It's a win-win for me," LuAnn explains,. "I'm still on the show. I'm still very much a part of the show, but it's not a fulltime thing." LuAnn adds, "It's very engulfing when you're on it. It takes up all of your mental and physical energy."
LuAnn is focusing on other projects and says she just took an acting class. She also has some advice to the woman taking her place: Kristen. "My advice really to her is just to be yourself and listen to your inner voice and listen to what is natural to you. Sometimes you get caught up and you forget about being true to yourself." My advice: Stay away from Pinot Singer!
Speaking of Kristen, Brandi Glanville's good friend is excited to sow her own reality TV oats. “I never in a million years thought about [doing this show],” she admits to the NY Post. “I’ve been in the mommy world for so long, which is why this show is so exciting to me.” She clarifies she's no party girl, ala Brandi and staying out late is not in her usual repertoire.
Kristen, a mother of two, joined the show when her daughter was only a year old. [I] was just getting back into my skinny jeans and getting out,” she confesses. She also considers herself a real housewife – she doesn't just play one on TV although she still models.
Despite Brandi, modeling is actually Kristen's other connection to the show! She once modeled for Heather Thomson's Yummy Tummy shapewear line because Heather is a friend of Kristen's husband. “I’m closest with Heather," Kristen shares. "And I love Carole [Radziwill]. We have a lot of mutual friends."
As for her other co-stars Kristen says, "Everyone was really welcoming… to start," she laughs. She describes being "shocked" by some of the occurrences during filming. “I was shocked," she admits. "When I told my mother [about incidents] she was shocked.”
Kristen describes herself as open-minded and despite all the craziness of the show says she would do another season. “I don’t have anything to hide. I have to say, I’m one of those people that’s sort of like, ‘Why not?’
One more thing about Kristen, she's still Team Brandi despite her behavior on RHOBH this season. Brandi is "the best girlfriend you could ask for." Unless you're Lisa Vanderpump…
Here are some other interesting tidbits about Kristen:
She went into the show with a stylist and describes her style as "Carrie Bradshaw meets Jackie Kennedy.” Jackie is resurrecting right now to beat Kristen senseless – how dare any Housewife compare herself.
She has appeared in several major magazines, including: Australian Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and Glamour, and modeled on the Parisian Haute Couture runways.
Real Housewives of New York returns to Bravo March 11th at 9PM EST.
[Photo Credits: BravoTV.com]
TELL US – ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED LUANN WAS DEMOTED? ARE YOU EXCITED FOR NEW HOUSEWIFE KRISTEN?
