On July 16, Bethanny Frankel confirmed that her "The Real Housewives of New York City" co-star Luann de Lesseps had returned to rehab six months after her first stint in the wake of a humiliating drunken arrest in December.
Now a new report is revealing what happened over the last few weeks that pushed Luann back into treatment.
According to TMZ, the last few weeks saw Luann caught in a spiral of "boozy partying" as she faced escalating family issues.
On July 2, she posted a photo on social media with ex-husband Alexandre de Lesseps and shared in the caption that she'd just spent the weekend with him and their two kids. "Counting my blessings," she wrote. "Celebrating 6 months of sobriety!"
But TMZ reports that by the following day, Luann had fallen off the wagon. When she arrived at a charity event in the Hamptons, sources reveal, she "made a late and noisy entrance — disrupting a piano performance — then was seen hitting up the bar and hitting on several guys in a very touchy-feely way," TMZ writes.
The same day Bethanny announced Luann's return to rehab, Page Six reported that friends had unsuccessfully tried to stage an intervention a few weeks ago. Because Luann was reluctant to seek treatment at the time, the report claimed, it drove her "further away from her inner circle.
Though friends believe there's no single reason Luann broke her sobriety, a source told TMZ, lingering issues related to her Florida arrest last year as well as a new lawsuit her ex and their kids just filed against her are what people close to her believe pushed her over the edge.
On July 12, The Blast reported that Alexandre is suing Luann, claiming she screwed her children out of millions by failing to create a trust she'd agreed to fund as part of their divorce settlement nine years ago.
In court documents, he claims that after he handed over the deed to their $8 million marital home in Bridgehampton, New York, Luann was supposed to create a trust for kids Victoria and Noel so that they'd get half of the property. He claims she never did that and instead sold the home, bought a new one for $3.1 million and threatened to sell it too. He and the kids are now seeking to block a sale and force Luann to honor the terms of the divorce agreement.
Bethany — who was authorized by Luann to speak on her behalf — revealed in a statement to People magazine on Monday that Luann realized she needed to focus on her health: "This weekend, Luann was surrounded by her girlfriends and decided — with their support — that in light of recent circumstances, it is the healthiest choice for her not to attend Tuesday's reunion taping so that she can continue in her healing process. Luann is now surrounded by a core group of people who truly have her best interests at heart and who are working to make sure she gets the help she needs. Bravo has been very supportive of Luann during this time. It's a brave and honest decision by her, and everyone is rallying around her and wants the best for her."
Though Luann's returns to rehab means she's missing the Season 10 "RHONY" reunion show taping set for July 17, exec Andy Cohen says she also has his full backing to focus on her recovery. "[Luann is] making the decision that is healthy for herself and you can do nothing but support that," Andy said on his SiriusXM show "Radio Andy Live" on July 16, Us Weekly reported. "She's been through it. We send our love to Luann and support [her] decision."
Though Luann won't be there, Andy said the rest of the cast won't shy away from discussing her issues. "We will talk about it," he promised.