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Leah McSweeney is the new girl in The Real Housewives of New York City. The Bravo star is joining the cast for season 12 after Bethenny Frankel’s in August 2019. For the socialite, the road to getting into a group of ladies that have known each other for years has not been easy. After some initial hiccups though, it seems McSweeney was able to find a place in the Big Apple.

Ramona Singer, Leah McSweeney, and Luann de Lesseps
Ramona Singer, Leah McSweeney, and Luann de Lesseps | Sophy Holland/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

McSweeney teased an “outburst” she will be having with Ramona Singer in the upcoming season of the reality series. The difference of ages played a factor in their clash. McSweeney is 37-years-old while Singer is 63.

“You have to understand, my mother is only a couple years older than her,” McSweeney told The New York Post. “I was going through some issues with my mom during the show, which everybody will see, and I think that my emotional outburst with Ramona had to do with a lot of my own issues with my mom.”

However, the ladies were able to soften things and have now found common ground to stand on.

“Ramona took me under her wing. She took a liking to me right away, but she also, I felt, was hard on me and holds me to a different expectation,” she continued. “Maybe she sees [in me] herself when she was younger?”

Not all of her friendships were difficult though, McSweeney noted that she instantly hit it off with Luann de Lesseps.

“I didn’t see me and her like really getting that close, but she’s f–king amazing,” the newbie added.

Ramona Singer also teases season 12

Singer is now the only housewife left on the RHONY franchise that has been a full-time cast member since the start. As the longest-serving star, she has seen it all and claims this new season is “unique.”

“I think what’s interesting about this season, someone said, describe it and, right now, the word to describe it is, it is a very unique season,” Singer told Entertainment Tonight. “We’re showing ourselves in a different way, we’re going deeper and exposing our fears and our weaknesses, and people can relate to that, because no one has a perfect life. No one has a perfect life. And if anyone says they do, they’re lying. So, I think fans will relate to that, and they’ll be, like, you know what? I relate to that.”

The Pinot Grigio queen also said she was more relaxed filming this season without Frankel.

“Even though Bethenny is a very strong character, she’s well received by the viewers, by us, she is basically — we all walk on eggshells around her,” Singer added. “We couldn’t really be ourselves. She’s such a big personality, she kind of took over the room. No air left for us. And I think, this season, the fans will be surprised to see a different side of most of us. And listen, we still have our arguments, we still fight, but there’s a bond that’s different. There’s something so special and unique. Very unique.”

Season 12 of The Real Housewives of New York City starts Thursday, April 2 on Bravo.

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