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In a candid conversation on the Virtual Reali-Tea podcast, the Real Housewives of Orange County star opened up about the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding fellow castmate Gina Kirschenheiter—and the explosive moment Heather says she “lit Gina up” over a leaked custody situation involving Katie Ginella.
The tension stems from Gina’s recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, where she claimed Heather had passed along sensitive information to Emily Simpson, who later brought it to the reunion. But according to Heather, that’s not the full story.
“I called her and she didn’t answer. She saw,” Heather revealed. “I texted her, and she called me the next day. She did apologize.”
Still, Heather made it clear that what upset her wasn’t just the leak, but the implication behind it.
“It made it sound like I was researching Katie, and I have never done that. I do not like that. I do not subscribe to that,” she emphasized. “It was just stuff that was out in articles that were posted.”
Heather explained that the sharing of media stories among castmates was common and hardly malicious.
“At that period of time, between the end of the season and the reunion, a lot of stories came out about Katie,” she said. “And we were all sending them to each other. So me to Emily, Emily to Gina, Gina to Shannon, Shannon to me, Tamra to whoever.”
“Trust me, they all pass our stories around to each other,” she added.
Despite the initial anger, Dubrow admitted she later took accountability for her outburst:
“I really was upset… but I apologized.”
When asked about the larger fallout between Katie and other Housewives like Gretchen Rossi and Jennifer Pedranti, Dubrow offered a measured take:
“I think, you know, you stand up for your friends and you believe in them, until you’re faced with irrefutable proof.”
As for when things began to shift between Katie and her former allies, Heather teased fans to stay tuned:
“Well, you gotta watch the next few episodes.”