Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo
Candiace Dillard-Bassett is opening up about the seventh season of The Real Housewives of Potomac.
After her husband, Chris Bassett, was faced with rumors of inappropriate behavior from a number of her cast mates, namely Gizelle Bryant and Ashley Darby, Candiace insisted the two of them have “no lies” in their marriage as she also reacted to Robyn Dixon‘s cheating drama with Juan Dixon, her unexpected friendship with Mia Thornton‘s ex-BFF Jacqueline Blake, and more.
“There’s a lot of talk about this being my best season, and that’s always nice to hear,” Candiace began during a February 3 interview with Variety.
According to Candiace, the conflict she faced amid season seven, specifically the claims made against Chris, was particularly challenging due to the fact that the allegations were “not true.”
“I knew that he had messaged Ashley, because at the time of the DM debacle, I was in Vegas for the Grammys. I called him when I got settled because of the time difference and he told me, ‘I was at work. I saw Ashley and Robyn were at Park. I told them, they should have come to the W and they should come next time.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, you should have them come and give them a table,'” Candiace recalled.
In addition to being accused of sending Ashley a late-night DM and flirting with her friend, Deborah, Chris faced claims of making Gizelle uncomfortable at the season six reunion, which Candiace talked to him “at length” about.
“There are no secrets with my husband and I. We talk about everything and there were no ulterior motives,” she stated. “The drama was because I knew immediately that it was rooted in falsehood. It was rooted in a need for something to talk about, because you don’t have anything of your own to discuss.”
While some have felt Candiace had RHOP producers in her corner as Chris faced the allegations, she doesn’t believe there’s any truth to the suggestion, saying they were simply “on the side of the truth” and “being fair.”
As for her mother, Dorothy Dillard, who has been vocal about Chris, and her issues with him, in the past, Candiace said she was not happy with the cast’s lies about her husband.
“This was her daughter and her son-in-law, facing incredible lies and bullying and attacks and foolishness at the hands of a miserable, bored person,” Candiace explained. “She was very adamant about expressing that she did not like it.”
Moving on to Robyn’s recent wedding, Candiace said she “was happy” for her castmate before learning she confirmed Juan’s “affair” with another woman.
“I’m really disappointed and hurt,” Candiace stated. “We’re on a show about sharing our lives. Robyn is someone that I thought was honest and open about her life, as she expected and demanded of each of us to be honest about our lives. It’s hurtful that she chose not to, and watched my husband be dragged for lies when she had a true story to tell.”
In addition to having an issue with Robyn, Candiace is also estranged from Ashley, explaining that her co-star lacks “maturity” and “respect.”
“She doesn’t seem to know when enough is enough,” Candiace noted.
As some of Candiace’s relationships fell apart amid RHOP season seven, she was able to establish a friendship with Jacqueline, who she “was not a fan of” at first due to her blind loyalty to Mia, who ultimately turned on her.
“This is clearly someone who was not let in on the secret that Mia was going to betray her in front of millions of people,” Candiace shared. “It was hard to watch. It made me want to comfort Jacqueline, and then in comforting her, I got to know her. And she’s a lovely person. She’s a smart woman. She’s an accomplished woman who loved her friends … We’re still friends to this day.”
Despite the cast’s attack on Chris during the season, Candiace said she felt good after taping the reunion.
“I honestly felt the most relaxed I’ve ever felt after a reunion,” she revealed. “I really left everything on the couch, and I felt that for my husband as well. I think that was a part of what calms me knowing that he got to say what he needed to say.”
When Candiace was then asked about the new deluxe edition of her Deep Space album, which features a clip of Nicki Minaj pressing her to sing acapella at the season six reunion, Candiace said the inclusion was made in an effort to show she’s not immune to criticism, not to throw shade at the rapper.
Still, while she meant well, Candiace said she’s faced backlash from some of Nicki’s fans, the Barbz.
“Some of those Barbz are barbarians. And I know they’re gonna come at me for saying that … But I get it,” she explained.
As for her next album, Candiace said she’ll be “more vulnerable”
“I want to talk about parts of my life and parts of my story that I’ve never talked about before and things that nobody knows,” she shared. “We haven’t started recording anything yet. But those conversations are happening.”
Candiace went on to say she loves Erika Jayne’s music because it’s “sexy,” “catchy,” and “honest,” and added that she would collaborate with the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star. Candiace even defended Erika against claims of being in the know about estranged husband Thomas Girardi‘s fraud crimes against his former clients.
“What I have seen is that she didn’t know, and I don’t believe that she knew what he was doing. [And] I’m not mad at her for that. She lived her life outside of his career … I think that it’s not fair that she be punished for what he did,” she stated.
RHOP Live Viewing – This is also the live viewing thread for tonight’s season 7 finale episode of The Real Housewives of Potomac, so feel free to comment below as the new episode airs at 8/7c on Bravo.