Lisa Vanderpump Talks Leaving RHOBH: Why She Quit Real Housewives

Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump is no longer a part of the Bravo series. The star first made the announcement in June 2019, saying she was leaving the series after nine seasons. Now we know why. Vanderpump said she was quitting Real Housewives because she was mourning the loss of her brother, Mark, who unexpectedly died by suicide in 2018.

“It was a very sad year for me with losing my brother and everything. I was very honest about that and [I was] struggling with depression,” Vanderpump, 59, told Access Daily.

After joining Real Housewives in 2010, she was given a spinoff two years later, called Vanderpump Rules. The spinoff focuses on her relationship with husband Ken Todd and their restaurant, SUR. They just finished their seventh season. Vanderpump will continue to film her spinoff, but continuing with Real Housewives was too much.

Lisa Vanderpump Gets Candid Over ‘Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills’ Exit: ‘It Got Too B**chy’Lisa Vanderpump gets candid with Access Daily hosts Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover about her decision to leave Bravo’s hit show “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” The reality star also reveals what fans can expect from the new season of “Vanderpump Rules.” Plus, Lisa, who has helped rescue over 1300 dogs since 2017 with The Vanderpump Dog Foundation, introduces a couple of sweet pups that are up for adoption. #AccessDaily #LisaVanderpump2019-11-11T20:21:01.000Z

Puppy Gate Dominated The Season 9 Storyline

Puppy Gate also had something to do with it. She said it was too much for her to film Season 9. As some fans might recall, Dorit Kemsley adopted a puppy from Vanderpump’s rescue center and then gave the dog away. It was one of the main storylines and caused blow-up fights. The dog wound up at a shelter and the cast accused Vanderpump of leaking the story, something she denies.

“It was very difficult, the whole situation. [They] all started coming at me and it was all based around the whole dog fiasco. It got too b*tchy and I just suddenly thought, ‘That’s it, I’m done,’” Vanderpump said.

“I had so much going on. I was opening TomTom, Vanderpump Rules is a big show, we have the dog rescue center, we were opening in Vegas. There was just so much and when it all kind of piled on top of me, and I was emotionally depleted anyway, I just said, ‘You know what? I’m done,’” she added.

She wasn’t in the right mental space to deal with the drama. “[Andy] said, ‘You know, I think we should’ve given you a year off when you asked for it,’” she told Entertainment Tonight. “He said, ‘I don’t think you were in a mental state where you were really prepared to deal with it,’ it was very emotional … ‘With hindsight, we probably should’ve given you the year off.’”

“It hasn’t been a good situation,” Vanderpump continued. “I think this year, with where my mental state was — and I’ve been very honest about that, I struggled a lot, you know, after my brother’s suicide. The first few months it was really difficult, and I was kind of searching for happiness, so, I think you know … when something really significant happens in your life, maybe it does change you?”

She didn’t want to deal with the attacks from the cast. “That’s not what I signed up for,” Vanderpump told Hollywood Life. “Sign up, you’re [a] fu***ng target for 25 episodes of them just talking about me, and relentlessly pounding on me, when I was at a very fragile time in my life. I did it in season four, did it season six. I had a bit of it in season two when the whole cast gets to you. And I just said that’s it. Bye. I’m not doing it anymore.”

The Cast Thinks Vanderpump Quit For Different Reasons

Currently, Vanderpump isn’t on good grounds with the cast. She started filming with the cast halfway through Season 9 and didn’t appear at the reunion. The cast wasn’t happy about that, and claimed it was because “archenemy” Brandi Glanville was being featured on the series.

“I’m just assuming and I could absolutely be wrong, but she felt that throughout this season, you’ve had her back, Denise [Richards]. And with you talking to Brandi — Brandi’s her archenemy,” Camille Grammer said on the reunion, as noted by CheatSheet. 

“[She’s pissed] that Brandi showed up on the show,” Grammer continued. “Absolutely. [Brandi]’s her archenemy. She feels so betrayed.”

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.

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