Kyle Richards, with husband Mauricio Umansky, says the funof “Real Housewives” can sometimes get lost in the drama.But it’s there!
Credit: FilmMagic
In the upcoming fifth season of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” fans will see a more confident Kyle Richards.
The actress started noticing something was wrong about five years ago, when she first began filming the reality TV show: “My eyes were constantly bothering me.
“When I was filming, I was constantly turning away from the camera, putting drops in my eyes — then my mascara would run,” she says.
Richards, 45, finally sought a diagnosis about eight months ago and was told she had chronic dry eye, in which the eyes don’t produce enough tears. Besides being necessary for reality TV waterworks, tears reduce the risk of eye infection and keep vision clear, according to the American Optometric Association.
Richards is managing her condition with Restasis, and says she’s given up her stash of false tears and is focused on the real drama. She admits that “Real Housewives” can take a toll, specifically her clash with former cast mate Carlton Gebbia. “When we’re fighting and there’s a conflict, it does stress me out and causes a lot of anxiety.”
The flip side is that the housewives are also friends, sharing experiences that Richards had missed out on — she got married at 18 and had her first daughter at 19. “When we do our girls trips, that’s fun, I never got to do that kind of stuff.”
New to the Bravo series next season is “Young & the Restless” star Eileen Davidson — but old conflicts haven’t been set aside. “There’s new relationships and old relationships — either mending or not mending.”
A new adventure for Alexia
When we caught up with Richards, she was taking a break from filming “Real Housewives” to send off her daughter, Alexia, to begin college in Arizona. “My whole family, my husband and four daughters, all came to see her off to college,” she says. Things got a bit emotional: “My husband and I are like, ‘I thought we’re supposed to be excited — why are we pushing college education so much? This is a nightmare!’ It’s so rough.”
Follow Eva Kis on Twitter @thisiskis or email eva.kis@metro.us.
