NeNe Leakes Says She's Leaving Real Housewives of Atlanta , But Do We Believe Her?
Somebody pick Andy Cohen up off of the floor. After seven seasons of antics, cat fights and real-life drama, Nene Leakes is leaving Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Leakes confirmed the news herself to People, saying that while the decision not to return for season eight was difficult, she feels a "weight has been lifted off my shoulders" since quitting the franchise.
"This was definitely a hard decision for me," she says. "Me and my husband [Gregg Leakes] have been going back and forth on it for weeks now. But my contract is up and I just think this is the right time. This is my opportunity to spread my wings and do different things."
Part of that new direction, Leakes says, is to move forward full throttle into acting. "I'm actually going to be doing a new prime-time television show with a big legend," Leakes reveals. "All of my fans will get to see me be really happy, witty and funny and tell all of those one liners that I always have said on Housewives."
And what will the other housewives do without her? "I think some of the girls will be happy," Leakes says. "They always felt like I was the star, and they were never able to really shine with me there, so here's their opportunity to shine."
But before you pull out the tissues, done never really means done when it comes to the Housewives. "I'm not saying I'm gone forever," Leakes warns. "I'll probably pop up and play with those girls every now and then."
Cohen hopes she means what she says, tweeting, "We love @NeNeLeakes & she is always welcome back to the house she helped build! She's a Real Housewife forever!!"
Retirement is a flexible term when it comes to celebrities, so we won't shed a tear for the loss of NeNe just yet. But in the meantime, we know one Housewife who'd be happy to fill her Louboutins. Check out our interview with Kenya Moore, below:
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