Peteski Productions/CBS Television DistributionKim Richards dropped a bombshell during her exclusive sit-down interview with Dr. Phil, which aired today.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star admitted that her recent arrest was not her first slip-up when it came to her sobriety. Richards confessed to Dr. Phil that her ongoing battle with alcoholism got the best of her in recent months, telling the host she had indulged in a few glasses of wine, but was too "ashamed" to admit she had fallen off track during the reunion show.
"No, that's not true," Richards responded when Dr. Phil mentioned that she hadn't had a drink in three and a half years. "I did have a drink a couple other times over the last few months. And it was wine. I was ashamed to say anything at the reunion. Embarrassed."
She continued, "I would have loved to have said to the girls, 'You're right,' but the way they're coming at me, they didn't make it very easy for me to tell them, like, you're right, you know. I screwed up."
But co-star Lisa Vanderpump says the cast is nothing but supportive during this time, telling E! News, "More than anything all of the cast hopes she receives the treatment she needs. We all love her and support her at this difficult time and know she will emerge better equipped with what life has to offer."
Richard adamantly fired back at her skeptical co-stars who questioned her sobriety during the reality show, and kept repeating that she had be sober for over three years and has not struggled with her sobriety.
However, she candidly tells Dr. Phil that the sadness stemming from becoming estranged from her family is what drove her to drink again. And the constant criticism she faces on a daily basis on social media from those who've come to know her through the popular Bravo series doesn't help either.
"I'm a very strong person and I have been sober. I haven't been working a program," she told the daytime talk show host, choking back tears. "Living through a season on a show, sometimes it's hard to just get through it. The fans are really hard on me."
Richards was arrested at the Beverly Hills Hotel shortly after the final episode of season seven aired.
Multiple reports confirm that Richards has checked into rehab since taping her interview with Dr. Phil.