Wax on, wax off: At long last, Bravo has confirmed that Cindy Barshop has joined the cast of Real Housewives of New York.
Back in September, UsMagazine.com was first to report via source that Barshop was set to star on the fourth season of the Bravo show. Barshop is founder and owner of Completely Bare, a successful chain of day spas specializing in hair removal with locations in NYC, Palm Beach, Fla. and Scarsdale, New York. The self-made businesswoman is also single mom to twin girls Zoe and Jesse, born in 2009.
Barshop replaces Bethenny Frankel, who left the series to star in her own spinoff show, Bethenny Getting Married (now Bethenny Ever After).
"She has an organic connection to the cast," Bravo programming VP Christian Barcellos told the New York Post Wednesday. "She's friends with [fellow New York 'Housewives'] Ramona [Singer] and has connections to Kelly [Bensimon]. They all run in the same circles." (Barshop's other Housewives cohorts are Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan, and Jill Zarin.
What else should fans know about the newest housewife? "She's the epitome of the go-go New Yorker who lives downtown in an absolutely fabulous West Village loft," Barcellos said. She "has made some really bold, daring lifestyle choices [that] are really cool and laudable and hopefully will invite watercooler conversations," he added.
"She's done some unorthodox things, and she owns it," continued the Bravo exec. "She brings a distinct flavor to the ensemble…viewers will enjoy getting to know and see [Barshop]."
