Jill Zarin

Jill Zarin Says Luann de Lesseps And Bethenny Frankel Can Survive Anything

Lord once Jill Zarin managed to get her self back in the spotlight I fear we’ll never get her back out. Once again, the former Real Housewives Of New York star is praising her ex-friend Bethenny Frankel and Luann D’Agostino to the high heavens for managing to survive the wrath of so many hateful harridans. Something Jill, herself, knows a thing or two about.

Describing Luann as “Teflon,” Jill explains that the Countess has craftily managed to survive nine seasons on this cutthroat show by consistently shifting frienemies when the time is right and only having allegiance to herself. We do know how Luann loves herself and all.

“There was the Bethenny Frankel/Jill alliance, right? Then there was Ramona Singer, who couldn’t stand that Bethenny and I were an alliance and wanted to get in there. Then there was Luann who was literally and continues to be Teflon, completely,” gushes Jill. “Nothing sticks to her. It slides off.”

Jill reveals that Luann has always been a solo act and has never been one to gossip. Class With The Countess 101 – don’t talk about people if they’re gonna be able to find out you’re talking about them, right?! Another Luann trick – she has always kept the show separate from her personal life. When the camera was off, Real Housewife Luann was also ‘off.’

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According to Jill, “Either we were watching or filming and I would get into it with [Luann] and she’d be like, ‘Can we just talk about something else please?’ And she’s like, ‘You know, it’s like work. I don’t really want to talk about that.'”

“I asked her, I said, ‘Don’t you ever cry? Does it ever get to you?’ And no, not really because she takes it as a job,” Jill says on Bravo’s Daily Dish podcast. “It’s work. She can protect herself. She always did.”

Jill adds that Luann has largely avoided paying attention to twitter and other social media to avoid getting caught up in the show. “She wasn’t into social media back then, now she is more, but back then she was like she didn’t see it, she didn’t hear it, she didn’t know it, it was all good.”

Well I suppose that explains why after 9 seasons, Luann hasn’t changed much. Now, if anything, she’s more down to earth, yet more in Lu-Lu Land than ever.

One person who has changed a whole bunch is Jill’s former bestie Bethenny. The Bethenny of yore has no relationship to the Bethenny of now, per Jill: “I don’t see the same person anymore. I don’t. But that’s not a bad thing. It’s just a growing thing.”

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Jill says “life was easy” for Bethenny when the show first started, but her life has taken on a lot more responsibilities. “You know, she’s a mom now, she wasn’t a mom then. [You have] to grow up fast when you’re a mom. Now you’re responsible for another human being. When she was with me, she was just her. It was all about her. It was just a different time in our lives, the innocent time.”

Despite their friendship falling apart, Jill praises how Bethenny has handled marriage, family problems, divorce, motherhood, and business in front of the spotlight. “I don’t know too many people who could survive what she survived. She had four major life changes all happen to her at the same time.”

“I really wanted to be there for her, but she did not want me in her life, and I couldn’t force that,” Jill concludes. “You can’t force yourself on someone.” Jill thinks if she and Bethenny would have both remained on RHONY they would have patched things up. “I think if she had done another season we would’ve resolved it. Whether we would have been best of friends or as close as we were – maybe, maybe not – but we would’ve resolved it. Because you kinda have to.”

You know, I kinda love Jillusional. And I kinda want her life. I mean Hamptons, UES, tennis, nonstop travel, and access to high-end fabrics?!

TELL US – WHO’S THE BETTER SURVIVOR: LUANN OR BETHENNY?

[Photo Credit: Bravo]

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