Kim Richards Blames ‘RHOBH’ And Twitter Fans For Relapse, Lisa Vanderpump Thinks Co-Star Needs To Exit The Show

In Kim Richards’ highly-anticipated interview with Dr. Phil on Tuesday, the RHOBH star tells the TV psychologist her recent relapse with alcohol was due to being a part of the reality TV series. If this is true, co-star Lisa Vanderpump thinks it is time for Richards to leave the show.

Dr. Phil tells ET Online that during his interview with Kim Richards, the reality TV star tried to explain away the behavior leading to her arrest on April 16 for public intoxication by saying it was as a result of being a part of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Kim tells the TV psychologist during the interview that when she would go to Twitter to find out what people were saying about her, reading RHOBH fans’ harsh words was too much for her to handle.

“I have been sober. I haven’t been working a program. Living through this season on the show, sometimes it’s hard enough to get through it. The fans are very hard on me, and I went on Twitter to see what people were saying and it was just horrible. [They say] ‘You’re a hoe. You’re a liar. You are a drunk.’ They were calling me all kinds of names, and I am an alcoholic. I’ve said that.”

Dr. Phil says if this is the case, Kim Richards should rethink being in the public eye.

“According to her self-analysis, the trigger for this was reading a lot of tweets. If you’re one of those people that feels the need to be loved by strangers, I’m not sure the public arena is the place you need to be. You need to inoculate yourself from that.”

At a charity event over the weekend, Richards’ RHOBH co-star Lisa Vanderpump echoed Dr. Phil’s sentiments.

“I think she’s battled these demons for years. She kind of said it was the show, so clearly she shouldn’t be part of it.”

While she initially declined Dr. Phil’s offer to send her to a treatment facility in exchange for their interview, Kim Richards entered rehab over the weekend. A source tells People the former child actress is in denial that she even has a problem, but agreed to enter rehab because she wants to avoid serving jail time over her recent arrest and because of the humiliation she has caused her children.

Whether Kim will come back for another season of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has yet to be determined, although entering rehab may help to save her job. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Bravo producers allegedly gave the reality star an ultimatum to either seek treatment or lose her six-figure contract with the network.

Kim Richards’ interview with Dr. Phil airs Tuesday, April 28 at 3 p.m. ET.

[Image by Nicole Weingart/Bravo]