Exclusive

Carole Radziwill Opens Up About John F. Kennedy Jr. and His Relationship With Her Late Husband

Exclusive! Ahead of the 20th anniversary of JFK Jr.'s death, the former Real Housewives star reveals new details

By Chris Harnick Jul 15, 2019 5:49 PMTags

The Real Housewives of New York City star Carole Radziwill is returning to TV, this time to shed light on the relationship between her late husband, Anthony Radziwill, and his cousin, John F. Kennedy Jr. E! News has your exclusive sneak peek at A&E's Biography: JFK Jr. The Final Year above.

In the sneak preview, Carole offers her "really unique perspective" on JFK Jr. to historian Steven M. Gillion. "He was complicated," Carole says in the clip above. "Based on his upbringing, what he went through, John is very stoic, so when it came to Anthony's illness, he had blinders on. And for a long time, he would not really acknowledge that Anthony was going to die from the cancer. He blocked it out for a long time. You know, ‘cause John wasn't, like, a sad person…he was, you know, buck up," Carole says.

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Anthony Radziwill passed away in August 1999, nearly a month after John Jr. and Carolyn Kennedy died in a plane crash.

Before their deaths, Carole says the two couples would have dinners. "It was almost like John was frantically trying to create memories," she says.

The two men, first cousins, were as close as brothers, Carole says, and that included a lot of practical jokes. "You never wanted to be at the other end," Carole says.

"They trusted each other, they confided in each other, they teased each other, but they loved each other. The kind of love that doesn't have to express itself all the time, you just knew it," Carole says.

Click play on the clip above to see vintage Kennedy-Radziwill home movies.

Biography: JFK Jr. The Final Year airs Tuesday, July 16 at 9 p.m. on A&E to mark the 20th anniversary of JFK Jr.'s death.