Luann de Lesseps’ Real Housewives of New York City costars are continuing to rally around her after she returned to rehab. Tinsley Mortimer shared her reaction to the news during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen on Wednesday, July 18.
“[I was] totally in shock because I was so proud of her,” Mortimer, 42, said. “I had a mugshot in Palm Beach too, and I just feel like I turned it around and I felt like she was doing that.”
Bravo confirmed to Us Weekly on Monday, July 16, that de Lesseps, 53, checked back into rehab. The network said in a statement that it “supports Luann’s decision to focus on her health.” The reality star previously sought treatment in December, just a few days after she was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida, for battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence and disorderly intoxication.
De Lesseps poked fun at her arrest during her #CountessAndFriends cabaret show, which kicked off in New York City in late February.
“The cabaret show is so amazing, and I was so proud of her,” Mortimer said on Wednesday. “It’s just sad. I wish her the best and I hope that she can work everything out.”
After the news of de Lesseps’ relapse broke, a source told Us exclusively that the Bravo personality uses “alcohol as a coping mechanism.” Her arrest and first stint in rehab came months after she and Tom D’Agostino Jr. announced in August 2017 that they had called it quits on their seven-month marriage. The insider added, “She thinks she can add drinking slowly back into her life once she feels healed.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
