Yolanda Hadid Talks Impact of ‘RHOBH’ on Her Mental Health: ‘I Was Fighting for My Life’

The usual drama of reality TV notwithstanding, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was a challenging experience for Yolanda Hadid. The former model, who starred in RHOBH from 2012 to 2016, is now opening up about that experience, nearly a decade after she debuted on the Bravo reality show.

“The first season I went on, I was diagnosed with neurological Lyme disease, and I struggled every day of the season,” Hadid told Entertainment Tonight recently. “I kind of stayed on because I thought, ‘OK, I’ll be better next season.’ I didn’t know Lyme disease was a life sentence. And now, here we are 10, 12 years, later, I’m still struggling with it.”

She continued: “I always thought, ‘Next season I’m gonna do better. Next season, I can fully understand,’” she added. “So I was never [working] with a full set of brains on the show.”

In the interview, Hadid also discussed the RHOBH cast members who were skeptical about her illness. (Lisa Vanderpump questioned the diagnosis, according to ET, and Lisa Rinna suggested Hadid actually had Munchausen syndrome, per People.)

“Those things were very hurtful, and not just hurtful to me but hurtful to my children and my family who loves me,” said Hadid, the mother of models Gigi and Bella Hadid. “And they knew I was fighting for my life. So, from that perspective, it wasn’t a good experience for me. And, you know, that was the taste I was left with.”

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The former reality star, who is now hosting Holland’s Next Top Model, left RHOBH after Season 6, and in the new interview, she said she wouldn’t go back.

“It was an experience you take on, but at this point in my life, I couldn’t. I’m too sensitive. I couldn’t deal with that back and forth between women,” she said. “It’s not my communication style or something that’s good for my life.”

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Wednesdays, 8/7c, Bravo