Rotten apple? Dorinda Medley and Luann de Lesseps are both to blame for their friendship going through a rough patch during season 10 of The Real Housewives of New York City, but newcomer Barbara Kavovit may have prevented the two women from making up in season 11.
“You are going to see throughout the season [that] I’m just trying so hard to communicate with her, and Barbara unfortunately is constantly blocking it,” Dorinda, 54, told Us Weekly exclusively, noting that she and Luann were both “hurt” by each other. “I think it made it go on longer than it should have. We needed to just clear the air. I mean, listen, you know when you have a break like that, it changes the relationship. So we’re working on it, but yeah, we’re in a good place [now].”
Dorinda and Luann’s drama began last year after the “Money Can’t Buy You Class” singer accused her costar of drinking too much during the cast’s trip to Cartagena, Colombia. Fans were introduced to Barbara as one of Luann’s friends, meanwhile, during the Wednesday, March 6, season 11 premiere of RHONY. Dorinda, however, told Us that she has also known the Evergreen Construction CEO “for many years.”
“She was an independent friend of mine, so I was just so dumbfounded when … It’s almost like she didn’t know me,” the reality TV personality told Us. “I was like, ‘It’s me! Remember me? Remember the person that saved you when you were at Luann’s wedding and she didn’t want to speak to you? I’m the one that stood by you?’”
Dorinda also claimed that Luann and Barbara had a falling out in recent years.
“So, the person that Luann wasn’t speaking to a year ago is now her soldier and protector,” she said. “The whole thing was very bizarre to me, and it was bizarre. … I was very close to Luann, and I also was hurt that all of a sudden everything was minimized about my value in her life and how I participated in it.”
She added: “I felt like I was a ride or die.”
For more from Dorinda, including an update on Luann’s sobriety, watch the video above!
The Real Housewives of New York City airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
