Lisa Vanderpump is no stranger to long days. As star of two hit reality TV shows — The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules — owner of two trendy L.A. restaurants, and author of Simply Divine, the brunette beauty routinely logs 16-plus hour days.
Her demanding daily agenda couldn’t prepare her for her current turn on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, though. “It’s the most challenging thing you could ever do,” Lisa told SheKnows. “Also, just physically, five hours a day — I’m covered in bruises… I can hardly move!”
Joking she has “three left feet,” Lisa admits the only dancing she did before being cast on the show was on the occasional night out with her husband of 30 years, Ken.
“We might do something casual,” she tells us, “but these are orchestrated, choreographed steps that you have to remember, and positions and camera positions, and you’ve got 20 million people [watching].”
But despite the intense physicality and rigors of the show, Lisa asserts it is an experience she wouldn’t trade. “It’s probably one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life.”
For the busy reality TV star, the camaraderie between cast mates was a welcome departure from the infamous drama between she and her fellow Housewives.
And while her fans would love to see reconciliation between Lisa and Housewives frenemy Kyle Richards, they shouldn’t hold their breath. Noting the negative things she’s heard Kyle say in the press, Lisa tells us, “When the parameters change, and somebody kind of attacks you or trashes you, it makes you feel differently about that person. And that takes a while to recover from.”
She may have landed in the bottom three last week, but Lisa feels the timing was just off, pointing out that The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills finale and reunion special aired during the same two hours as DWTS.
Watch the full interview
As for the dancing, Lisa feels as though she’s improved markedly. “When Len said it’s [their jive] acceptable, not exceptional,” she says, “you know, acceptable is great for me because, 10 days ago, I was abominable!”
And dancing isn’t the only newest endeavor for the busy star. She’s partnering with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! to bring audiences the webisode series, Life After Work, on which she prepares tasty meals with some of her favorite men.
“We came up with a few recipes and just created some real kind of tongue-in-cheek vignettes and they’re a lot of fun,” she tells SheKnows. “So go to www.ICan’tBelieveIt’sNotButter.com and you’ll see!”