It’s deja vu all over again, as once again the Real Housewives of New York City star Luann de Lesseps is giving her first TV interview following a very short stint in rehab.
Earlier this year, Luann appeared on the Dr. Oz Show following a three-week stint in rehab in January, and this time, she chose to appear on the Megyn Kelly Today show to discuss her sobriety following a two-week rehab stay in July. During her August 14 appearance, Luann discussed falling off the wagon and revealed that she actually relapsed due to her kids’ lawsuit against her… but is she being truthful about that claim?
If you recall, it was announced last month that Luann was returning to rehab, and as we reported, she left her rehab facility following just two weeks. Luann however believes she is now on a better path as she declared herself to be 30 days sober.
“I feel good. You know, I feel great actually. But everyday is a struggle. I take it day by day. I’m going to be 30 days sober tomorrow so I’m celebrating that. I have this whole new life,” she revealed. “I go to AA meetings and I follow up with my treatment now that I’m back from rehab. I take it very seriously.”
Luann then opened up how she relapsed, saying it happened right after her two children, Victoria de Lesseps and Noel de Lesseps, and her ex-husband, Count Alexandre de Lesseps, filed a lawsuit against her on July 12, accusing her of essentially stealing her kids’ inheritance money.
First, she claims she found out about the lawsuit through the media.
“I found out about this whole story with the ex, the Count, that I was getting sued in the press,” said Luann. “So that was devastating. I felt betrayed. I felt so hurt by that, because I really wanted to move on. I just really wanted to flip this house and get the other one.”
As reported, during their 2009 divorce, Luann’s ex-husband, The Count, agreed to hand over the couple’s Hamptons mansion to Luann as long as she created a trust awarding half of the home to the couple’s two children. Luann failed to do so, and when she sold the home in 2014 for $8 million, she pocketed all the profits. She used the profits to purchase herself a new home. Her ex and kids however put their foot down when she decided she wanted to once again sell that home to buy herself yet another home.
Luann is however downplaying the lawsuit, saying her kids were simply upset that she wanted to sell their childhood home.
“I fell off the wagon. I wanted to change my life. They say to change people, places and friends. I wanted to move to upstate New York and I found a beautiful home. And I have this beautiful home out in the Hamptons as a lot of people know, and I wanted to sell that to get this property up there and the children weren’t happy about that because it’s their home and I understand that,” she revealed. “But I just wanted to move, I felt that I needed more privacy, [as] a lot of people know where I am. I needed a fresh start.”
She added, “But the kids were not happy with it and the ex-husband came to visit me and he decided to block me and sue me. And I was so nice. I let him stay in my house because we have a great relationship. And we still do. I mean I understand why he did it because I was really going big up there upstate with a very big property and since then, I’ve decided to take something smaller and keep my home for the children because I love them.”
She loves her kids, but she also blames their lawsuit and the heartbreak over not being able to buy herself a new home for her relapse.
“I had my heart set on that house. So I was devastated [and] so I lost it,” explained Luann. “I had a girlfriend with me, and she goes I love making watermelon martinis and I said I’m in. Anyways, I had two or three of those. Then I had I think two bottles of rosé by myself. And then I had probably six pack of beers. And I’m still standing. I was dancing in my kitchen with a bikini on and a panama hat… I don’t know when to stop.”
The only issue with Luann’s claims is that she actually relapsed weeks before the lawsuit was filed according to multiple credible media outlets.
For starters, TMZ reported that Luann got wasted at an event in NYC on July 3. The lawsuit however was filed on July 12. Page Six also reported about Luann’s drunken antics during that same event right after it happened. Additionally, Page Six reported that Luann’s loved ones held an intervention for her weeks before she went back to rehab. She reportedly did not receive that intervention well.
As for Luann, she is now insisting that she is done with drinking for good.
“I’m on probation which is good because I can’t drink and really at this point, I feel like I’m almost allergic to alcohol because I can’t be like most normal people and have a glass or two of wine, I’m like I’ll drink the whole bottle, and I’m thinking where can I get another bottle? It just doesn’t work for me. I’m just not wired that way,” she shared.
The video of Luann’s interview is below.
Photo Credit: Jason Mendez/startraksphoto.com, Instagram
TELL US – THOUGHTS ON LUANN’S INTERVIEW?