A new housewife with something in common! Leah McSweeney, the latest cast member on The Real Housewives of New York City, has something in common with Luann de Lesseps, the countess revealed exclusively to Us Weekly.
“Leah has had her own relationship with alcohol. You just have to see that play out,” de Lesseps, 54, told Us on the latest episode of the “Getting Real With the Housewives” podcast. She also shared that McSweeney brings “a lot” to the show.
“It’s not an easy place to walk into, as we’ve all been around for a while, for many years. So, I think it’s difficult shoes to fill,” the reality star shared with Us. “I think she really fit in. … She’s a tough New Yorker. She’s self-made. She’s a mother. So, she’s highly relatable. At the same time, she’s very vulnerable. So, I think that’s very interesting. She’s younger, so I think she’s going to appeal to some of our younger viewers, and I think that people are going to really like her and watch her struggle with, not only getting a relationship going with us, but with her own family issues.”
Ultimately, de Lesseps said this season — the first since Bethenny Frankel‘s exit — is “the best season we’ve had in a long time.”
McSweeney, 37, also opened up about what happened when she joined the show.
“Dorinda was definitely the hardest on me in the beginning, but it didn’t last long. And then once I got past this — she was a little cold to me — but once you get past that she’s actually the warmest of everybody,” she told Us. “It wasn’t really joining the group that was intimidating it was more the, ‘OK, I’m going to be on TV now and I’m not an anonymous person going through the world anymore,’ which was kind of a mind F.”
The Real Housewives of New York City airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
