The Countess weighs in! Luann de Lesseps spoke exclusively with Us Weekly and shared her thoughts about her Real Housewives of New York City costar Jules Wainstein’s divorce from husband Michael Wainstein.
“I totally admire Jules for not bringing [her divorce] on the show. I think it’s very difficult to walk that line with the ladies,” the Class With the Countess author, 51, told Us on Tuesday, June 21. “And I think that you have to protect your family first.”
“The show is the show, but family comes first. I admire her for not bringing this onto the show,” the TV personality — who stars on Bravo’s Before They Were Housewives special, airing tonight, June 22 — continued. “And I feel bad that she’s going through what she’s going through, and I really didn’t have a clue that she was having marital problems.”
As Us Weekly previously reported, Jules pulled the plug on her eight-year marriage earlier this month after learning of Michael’s alleged affair with another woman. The now-estranged couple — who share kids Jagger, 5, and Rio, 2 — showed no significant signs of trouble throughout their first season of reality television.
According to Michael’s attorney Mark Jay Heller, Jules once physically assaulted her husband back in 2012.
“In the winter of 2012, Julianne brutally and viciously assaulted her diminutive but brave husband,” Heller exclusively claimed to Us on June 17.
However, a rep for Jules told Us that “this is not the truth, and the truth will prevail.”
De Lesseps, who maintains an amicable relationship with ex-husband Count Alexandre de Lesseps (with whom she shares daughter Victoria and son Noel), revealed her postdivorce advice for Jules with Us.
“My advice is to hopefully handle it the best way you can, and that is to protect your children,” the “Chic C’est la Vie” singer said. “And to try and maintain a relationship with your ex so that your kids know that they’re loved and that Mommy and Daddy, even though they’re not together, they have a friendship.”
De Lesseps is now engaged to businessman Thomas D’Agastino. They plan to tie the knot on New Year’s Eve 2016.
Before They Were Housewives premieres on Bravo Wednesday, June 22, at 10 p.m. ET, after The Real Housewives of New York City.
