Luann de Lessepsis making changes in the new year.
TheReal Housewives of New York Citystar andCountess and Friendscabaret performer, 54, tells PEOPLE exclusively that after months of sobriety, she has recently made the decision to allow herself a drink on occasion.
Coming to that conclusion was something that de Lesseps approached slowly and responsibly, she says, after much soul-searching.
“New Year’s has been a time of reflection,” explained de Lesseps, of her choice. “I’ve learned a great deal about myself, and I’m in a very good place and finally back in the drivers seat.”
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De Lesseps’ news comes after a roller coaster few years for the reality star, which began whenshe was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida back in December 2017on charges of battery, trespassing and disorderly intoxication.
In the aftermath of that, de Lesseps made some changes. Shevoluntarily entered an alcohol treatment centerafter her arrest, telling PEOPLE at the time that she “intended to turn this unfortunate incident into a positive life changing event.” Then, in July 2018, de Lessepsreturned to rehab for a second time, which caused her to miss theRHONYseason 10 reunion.
All appeared to be going well until this April, when de Lesseps failed her alcohol test and later admitted to “drinking 2 glasses of mimosas after a [cabaret] performance she had in Chicago.”
“I take my sobriety very seriously and like many in my situation, it is a daily struggle,” de Lesseps said to PEOPLE then. “I remain committed to doing whatever it takes to continue living a healthy sober lifestyle.”
Eventually, de Lesseps came to a new probation deal with her judge, adding in May the promise of weekly call-in counseling sessions, monthly psychiatric sessions and an agreement that she’d keep a breathalyzer with her.
Allterms of her probation were completedin late August.
“Hi my friends, I’m happy to say after a difficult year…I’ve made it through!” she wrote in ahandwritten lettershared to her Instagram on Aug. 28. “I’m humbled and grateful for this life lesson and ready to put the past behind me and move on with my life.”
“Wish me luck!” the Bravo star added. “Thank you for your undying support over the year. Love always, Luann.”
Just this past November, during a specialWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohenfrom BravoCon, de Lesseps earned applause from the audience when she was congratulated on coming to the end of her probation.
“It feels great. It is behind me and I can move on in my life and be a badass with all the Housewives of New York again,” she said.
“I look at it right now as kind of a blessing, believe it or not, because it really made me step back and take a look at my drinking, etc,” she said in a July appearance onWWHL.“I feel fortunate.”
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Her legal troubles aside, de Lesseps has remained busy with her hitCountess and Friendscabaret tour.
February will mark two years on the road for the show, which brought her all across the country. She told PEOPLE in December she’s hoping the new installment of the show — titledF, Marry, Kill— will bring some of her fans back to see the newly crafted cabaret.
“It’s a very different show,” de Lesseps said. “It’s really about sex, men, and relationships. There will obviously be a lot of Housewives stories, because I’m always in trouble with men on the show somehow. I mean, either I’m getting married, divorced, or arrested! So we have a lot of fun with that and dive in deep.”
The show’s title came from the popular game of the same name. “It’s always the question I get from the audience during my Q&A segment, so I was like, ‘This is going to be the next show!’” de Lesseps said.
Those fans, de Lesseps said, are the reason she loves doing her cabaret the most.
“That’s what drives me on the tours,” added de Lesseps, explaining that life on the road mixed with filming can be hard. “I get up there and feel all this love and it makes all the stress go away. It feeds my soul.”
Season 12 ofThe Real Housewives of New York Cityis expected to premiere this year.
source: people.com
