Cindy Ord/NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty ImagesGiven that the Real Housewives of New York cameras document her nearly every move, we thought we knew everything there is to know about Ramona Singer. But it turns out, what we didn't know could fill a book!
Yep, Bravo's most unfiltered blonde (sorry, Brandi Glanville) has penned a memoir, Life on the Ramona Coaster, that really opens the door on the good, the bad and the ugly of her life—including her very tough childhood and heart-wrenching split from her hubby of 20-plus years, Mario Singer. Good thing there's plenty of juicy, behind-the-scenes Housewives dish to balance out all that heaviness.
"I love doing the show," Ramona tells E! News. "But you don't always see the complete picture. I wanted to do a no-holds-barred story about my life." Herewith, the five most interesting things we learned from reading it:
1. She Once Pulled a Knife on Her Father: As an adult, Ramona made peace with her dad. But as a child, he was so emotionally and physically abusive to her mother, Ramona was forced to jump in. "I lunge toward him," she writes, recalling a particularly harrowing night. "I point the blade directly at his face and scream, 'Stop it. Stop it right now or I swear I will take this knife and shove it into your neck.'"
The silver lining of Ramona's awful upbringing? She's able to tune things out when she needs to. "It's easy for me to block out the cameras," she explains. "Probably because, growing up, I had to block out all the noise in my family. I shut the cameras out, just like I shut out my father's yelling."
2. 'Scary Island' Was Even Scarier Than We Thought: Kelly Bensimon's infamous on-camera meltdown during a trip to St. John was so worrisome, the cast rallied together off-camera to get her help. Writes Ramona, "We were so concerned that we called Jill [Zarin] that night. I told her, 'Kelly needs you. She's going to be on a plane. You should meet her in New York.' Even Bethenny [Frankel] got on the phone and said, 'Jill, this is not about the show, we're worried about Kelly.' But instead of meeting her friend and helping her at the airport, Jill decided to show up in the villa the next day."
3. Her Success Played a Role in the Breakup of Her Marriage: Although her husband, Mario, devastated her by cheating, Ramona also blames money for their marital strife. "Things started to go downhill when Mario found out how much I was making for Season 6 of The Real Housewives of New York." At the time, she writes, "Mario had just turned sixty and his business was struggling. [But] his wife had become famous and was earning a great salary. He was on a path leading him farther and farther away from our marriage."
4. Yes, She Got a Boob Job: Although she initially denied it, attributing her newfound perkiness to weight loss and push-ups, Ramona admits, "Recently, I did have my breasts done. I've always been honest about the work I've had done and I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of. I've worked hard to maintain a youthful look and I'm proud I was able to put off surgery as long as I have."
5. Perhaps the Best Revelation of All: Newly single Ramona "has no idea what the future holds. For the first time in my life, I can't see where the road ahead leads. But because of everything I've been through, I know I am strong enough to handle everything life throws at me."
The Real Housewives of New York airs Tuesdays at 9 pm on Bravo.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)