‘I’VE FORGIVEN
MYSELF’
Real Housewives Of New York City star Countess
Luann de Lesseps spills the tea on the new series
H
ere at Zone, we can’t
get enough of The
Real Housewives Of
New York City. The
ladies of the Big
Apple are by far
the funniest of all
the Housewives,
and one of our
favourites is
the delightfully
over-the-top
Countess Luann
de Lesseps.
But as elegant
and charming as
Luann is, she
hasn’t had the
easiest couple of
years. Her whirlwind marriage to
second husband Tom D’Agostino
collapsed following cheating
allegations, triggering a
downward spiral for the star, who
ended up being arrested for
disorderly intoxication, resisting
arrest and battery of an officer
after a drunken night in Palm
Beach. Eek!
The Countess – formerly
married to Count Alexandre de
Lesseps, whose family built the
Suez Canal – went on to seekWORDS: Joel cooper, Sarah Morton PHOTOS: Getty
Luann was
arrested
in 2017treatment in rehab twice, but can
be seen drinking cocktails in the
trailer for the new season of the
show. More on that later!
When we catch
up with the
reality-turned-
cabaret star, who
has released a
string of iconic
dance hits, she’s
on lockdown at
home in the
Hamptons, and
has been whipping
up her signature
dish, eggs à la
française, on
Instagram.
“I feel lucky I’m at my home
with my daughter,” she explains.
“We’re safe and we’re
healthy, so
I’m grateful.”
Here, Lu, 54,
opens up about
forgiving herself
after a string of
bad decisions,
reveals all
about the new
cast, and
explains her
evolving relationship
with alcohol...So, Countess Luann, what can
we expect from the new season
of Housewives?
Lots of fun and drama, of course- it never gets boring! And we
have a new housewife. She’s a
great addition to the cast. Most of
us have been around for years, so
I don’t think it’s an easy spot to be
in, but she really holds her own.
Is that Leah McSweeney?
Yes. She’s a mom, a
businesswoman, and she’s
vulnerable. People are going to
love to see that because they’re
going to relate to her. I’m very
happy about the new addition.
So are we! What about Elyse
Slaine? Who is she?
Elyse is a friend of Ramona
Singer’s and you’re going to see
her this season. Is she here to
stay? I don’t know. You’re going to
have to watch what happens. But
I do bring Jill Zarin back on the
show, which is nice after all these
years. She’s a good friend.
We love Jill! Who do you get on
best with this season?
I’ve always had a very strong
relationship with Sonja
Morgan, so you see
us. It’s always a fun
time between the
two of us, and
things are
going better
with Dorinda
Medley as well.
That’s good to
hear! Who have
you clashed with?
I must say, this
season is a lot about
redemption for me, coming back
after a difficult couple of years.
The clashes have basically been
within myself and you’ll see how
that unfolds with the other women.
We see Ramona tries to stop you
drinking vodka in the trailer...
I’ve been told not to drink for the
last couple of years, so I decided
to forgive myself and to drink
socially on occasion – that’s
where I was this season, which
was filmed a while ago. Right now
I’m not drinking. I’m working on
my relationship with alcohol.
Were your friends concerned
about the situation?
If you ask any of the Housewives,
they would say, “Lu, you’ve never
really had a drinking problem.”
Obviously I got into a very
unfortunate situation and I’velearned and grown from
it. I’ve moved on and think
the women are happy to
see that. They’re very
supportive with any
decisions I’ve made in
terms of the alcohol.
You’ve been through so
much on camera. How do you
reflect back on your struggles?
Listen, people can relate.
Everybody has their ups and
downs. Mine have been really up
and down! I went from an
unfortunate place to getting
myself up onto a cabaret stage,
so I hope that inspires women. It’s
not easy to live through all that,
and have it be so public. But I’ve
been living in the public eye for 12
seasons now. I’ve made mistakes
and I’ve forgiven myself. I hope
that people can have the same
attitude in terms of forgiveness.
Some of your friends seem to be
criticising your cabaret show in
the trailer...
I’m just doing me, like I say in
my song Girl Code. Music is my
salvation. I love to entertain,
sing for my friends or tell jokes.
It’s part of who I am. Before
Housewives I was a showgirl on
Italian television. The success of
my show speaks for itself.
Finally, are you working on any
new music?
I am! I’m working on a song with
Desmond Child, who wrote Livin’
la Vida Loca. So Viva La Diva is
going to be coming out this
summer. And it’s so good!Stream and download RHONY
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Q&A
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