Countess LuAnn de Lesseps Talks About Returning As A "Friend Of The Housewives" For The Newest Season Of RHONY!

With the return of The Real Housewives of New York City, many of you may be wondering why is LuAnn returning only as a “friend of the housewives” this season and not as a full time housewife? Well LuAnn sat down with E Online and spilled the tea! LuAnn said the following

"How can I avoid the drama?" LuAnn tells E Online. "The drama is unavoidable. So yes, I'm a part of the drama—absolutely!"

"The show has been a part of my life for so long," LuAnn said. "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. It's a win-win for me," she continued. "I'm still on the show. I'm still very much a part of the show, but it's not a full time thing. It's very engulfing when you're on it. It takes up all of your mental and physical energy. I just took an improve acting class," LuAnn said. "I loved it."

LuAnn also gave some advice to RHONY's newest housewife Kristen Taekman "Keep your head down. 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."

LuAnn will not appear in the first three episodes of the newest season of The Real Housewives of New York City. Since during that time she hadn't sign her Bravo contract by the time filming was taking place.

Are you happy to see LuAnn as a friend of the housewives? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!

The Real Housewives of New York City returns on March 11 at 9/8c only on Bravo!

Photo Credit: Bravo