Luann de Lesseps Says ‘RHONY’ Cast Is ‘Relieved’ That Bethenny Frankel Is Off The Show

Luann de Lesseps spoke out about former castmate Bethenny Frankel on Monday during Jenny McCarthy’s SiriusXM radio show. According to FOX News, The Real Housewives of New York star says that the whole cast is “relieved” to have Frankel out of the way.

“I think the whole cast is relieved in a way,” de Lesseps said. “It also leaves breathing room for other women to shine and show their personalities.”

Apparently, Frankel drew all the attention in the show, leaving the other women feeling left out.

“A lot was Bethenny coming in and kind of stealing the show, but guess what? She can’t steal our show,” de Lesseps said. “This season is amazing, and I can’t wait for everyone to see the new season.”

Frankel could also be “nasty,” says de Lesseps, but also a lot of fun. Part of what she likes best about Frankel is that she challenges everyone, and she’ll miss having that around on the show.

Fans and the show’s cast were all surprised when Frankel announced that she was leaving the series. The countess says that she wasn’t shocked that the SkinnyGirl mogul wanted to spend more time with boyfriend Paul Bernon, but she was still unprepared for the announcement.

“I was shocked … I was, you know, surprised and not surprised in a way because I think that she is in a relationship that I don’t think she wants to bring around on the show,” de Lesseps said.

The Housewives OG says that she felt like she had to be careful when filming with Frankel, and while she’ll miss the antics, she says that she no longer feels like she needs to walk on “egg shells.”

Previously, as The Inquisitr reported, de Lesseps said that she and the rest of the housewives are no longer friends with Frankel now that she isn’t on the show. While speaking with Radar, she said that no one has stayed in touch with their former castmate after Frankel announced that she wasn’t going to return for the 12th season of the show. Frankel says that she wanted to focus on her B Strong charity and on her own reality TV projects instead of filming on the series.

Tamra Judge, star of The Real Housewives of Orange County, suggested that Frankel left because she was going to be fired by Bravo if she didn’t.

The Real Housewives of New York will return next year Bravo for its 12th season.