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Ramona Singer shared why she almost didn’t join the full-time cast of The Golden Life, the upcoming spinoff of Real Housewives of New York City. Plus, the star claimed that she’s now a “peacemaker,” as Luann de Lesseps clapped back: “You cannot change a leopard’s spots.”
Earlier this year, Ramona, Luann, Sonja Morgan, Dorinda Medley and Kelly Bensimon joined forces for a new show on E! called The Golden Life — years after Bravo replaced them with younger castmates. Many fans believe that the rebooted cast is bland compared to the original stars.
In an interview for Us Magazine, Ramona shared why she almost didn’t join the full-time cast of The Golden Life.
“I said, ‘Well, I don’t know. I’m living my fullest life, my best life. … You know what? I’ll come on as a friend. I don’t want to be a full cast member and have that responsibility of filming so much. It would interfere with my social life and my athletic life and my traveling plans,'” said Ramona. “I’m more of a peacemaker now.”
“Because I care. I care about my friends,” she continued. “I want them to get along. I don’t like, you know, blatant anger and meanness.”
But Luann disagreed.
“She still has the stinger,” said Luann. “You cannot change a leopard’s spots.”
“Well, that’s her opinion, not mine,” Ramona clapped back.
Ramona’s “ride or die,” Sonja, agreed with Ramona, saying, “Now, [Ramona’s] very level-headed, and she doesn’t like a lot of drama, and she certainly wants us to stop the F-bombs.”
Ramona added, “I think my face has gotten softer, and I don’t know, I just feel better.”
“And it’s not just the Botox,” said Sonja.
She also told the outlet that she was initially “frightened” by the fame of Real Housewives.
“I think when we first started, [reality TV] was a little more lighthearted,” she said. “I think sometimes now it gets too drama-oriented and fake-oriented. … “I sometimes personally never would accept how popular [and] so-called famous we were. … I used to really not embrace it. It kind of frightened me and scared me. But now I can embrace it.”
Ramona said her “genuine” friendships with women in the Bravo universe helped her get over the fear.
“We are real friends. We fight sometimes really badly. But we do make up. We have resolution, but we’re real,” she explained. “There’s nothing fake about us, you know? And we’re inspirational to [fans]. I mean, look at us all. … I never thought when I was younger [I’d] ever looked like this at this age. … And let me tell you, out there, life just gets better. My life is just beginning.”
“I think fans will be so delighted [with The Golden Life] because we are more lighthearted. We’re genuine,” she continued. “Nothing is fake. Nothing is made up. We don’t have a script. That’s what makes us so unusual.”
“The viewers will see a different Ramona from the standpoint that I’m really much calmer now. Do I still get hyper? Yes. Do I still have a disagreement like I did with Dorinda? Absolutely,” she said. “But there’s more of a zen to me, more of a calmness to me.”
The Golden Life premieres October 20 on E!.