Luann De Lesseps Says She’s Still Sober After Probation, But Reveals: ‘I Might Change My Mind'
Sep. 18 2019, Updated 3:52 p.m. ET
Luann de Lesseps broke probation from her boozy battery arrest when she relapsed on alcohol in May 2019. Even though The Real Housewives of New York star is now off probation, she revealed in an exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com that she plans to maintain her sobriety – at least for now.
“For the moment I am not drinking so I’ll see,” she told RadarOnline.com at her Countess Luann de Lesseps & Friends Comedy Show at Slate in New York City on Tuesday, September 17. “I’m just taking it one day at a time. I might change my mind. I don’t know. I’m happy right now.”
De Lesseps, 54, explained how she has the support of her sober friends, Countess Luann de Lesseps & Friends cabaret team and her family.
“I do yoga,” she explained. “I go to meetings here and there when I can. I try to keep focused.”
As RadarOnline.com readers know, the Bravo star was arrested on Christmas Eve in 2017 while in Palm Beach, Florida for assaulting and threatening to kill a police officer while under the influence of alcohol.
She pled guilty to battery, trespassing and disorderly intoxication. De Lesseps accepted a plea deal that consisted of 12 months of probation, and to abstain from alcohol and drugs.
But in May 2019, de Lesseps was temporarily back in handcuffs after her probation officer claimed in court documents that she relapsed on alcohol after a cabaret performance in Chicago.
She then accepted a new plea deal, where she was ordered to “weekly telephone counseling sessions with her treating psychiatrist” and monthly in-person sessions.
The reality star was fitted with a breathalyzer monitoring device and was ordered to take Antabuse sobriety medication.
She completed her probation in August 2019.
At the comedy show, de Lesseps made fun of her legal ordeal while on stage.
“May 16, 2019. Dear Diary,” she began. “I shot myself in the foot being truthful about having two Bellinis on Easter Sunday. I was in Chicago. I should’ve totally lied and said that I didn’t know there was alcohol in them at the buffet. They almost put me in jail because of it! I’ve only got four months left on probation. Now I have to blow into a device that detects alcohol five times a day. If you include my boyfriend, that makes six!”
The hysterical skit continued, “I have to take a pill that makes me violently ill if I drink. I said, 'I don’t need it, haven’t you seen some of my friends!' No names! They wanted me to wear an ankle bracelet. Jovani doesn’t make them!”
De Lesseps teamed up with Chanel in the City video podcast host Chanel Omari for the event. After the two met and “bonded,” they teamed up for the upcoming Countess and Friends podcast. Proceedings from the event benefit STOMP Out Bullying.
“You’re going to expect a lot of laughs,” De Lesseps said of the show. “You’re going to expect a story from my diary. We got a lot of great comedians. A lot of podcast stuff from Chanel. It’s going to be an interesting evening.”
Chanel added, “The reason we partnered up is because Luann is such an inspiration for Stomp Out Bullying. We have all gone through our ups and downs and I felt like she uses her platform for such good. It’s about time for people to understand it and see it. If we don’t have celebrities like her having this conversation, we’re not going to survive. Luann helped me write the whole show, and produced it."