LuAnn De Lesseps Reveals She Was Self-Medicating to Cope With Divorce Before Arrest, Apologizes and Opens Up About Rehab

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RHONY's LuAnn De Lesseps Talks Arrest and Rehab

LuAnn de Lesseps was in an extremely emotional state prior to her December 2017 arrest in Palm Beach, Florida.

In her latest blog, the Real Housewives of New York City star spoke candidly about the moments leading up to her drunken arrest and revealed that because she had not yet accepted her sudden divorce from Tom D’Agostino Jr. months prior, she found herself using alcohol to cope with the pain.

“My plan was to spend a couple of nights with a girlfriend, then head up to Jupiter to spend Christmas with my brother’s family before heading to South America for a friend’s wedding. Palm Beach is a small town, and I found myself going to all the same places I went to with Tom,” LuAnn recalled of her holiday trip south.

As fans well know, LuAnn and Tom got married on New Year’s Eve of last year after months of cheating rumors and ultimately parted ways just seven months later after a public fight in the Big Apple.

“I was arrested at the same hotel where I had a brunch that concluded our wedding weekend. Although I knew before I left NYC that I hadn’t processed my emotions about my divorce, I didn’t seek professional help,” she continued. “Instead, I was self-medicating to kill the pain…never a good idea! I hit a wall in Palm Beach, and the impact of my actions made me realize that I had better deal with my issues before I hurt someone or myself.”

Although LuAnn faced tons of backlash and controversy after news of her arrest was made public, she had the support of her co-stars and friends, who showed their dedication to LuAnn in the weeks that followed the ordeal.

“You really know who your true friends are when you are going through a rough time,” LuAnn wrote. “The girls reached out to me after my arrest in various ways, from texts to phone calls, and I appreciated everything they did to make me feel better.”

After her drunken arrest, which resulted in charges of battery and making threats against an officer, LuAnn entered into a treatment program at a rehab center in Florida, which she says was “one of the best decisions I made in my life.”

“I felt like I reconnected with my soul there, and I did a lot of healing,” she said of her time in the program. “My mother, my family, and my friends have been incredibly positive, and I feel like I don’t have to go through this alone. I know it’s weird to say this, but I’m incredibly thankful for what happened, because it made me come to a full stop so that I could take care of myself, which I was not doing.”

In closing, LuAnn offered an apology for her behavior.

“I’m truly sorry for what happened during my arrest, and I want everyone to know that I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Palm Beach police department and for all first responders,” she explained.

The Real Housewives of New York City airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo TV.  A preview clip is below –

Photo Credit: Ron Adar/Shutterstock.com

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