Luann de Lesseps Insists She 'Didn't Sleep with the Pirate' onRHONY— 'but I Wish I Would've!' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Luann de Lesseps in October 2023.Photo:Santiago Felipe/Getty

Santiago Felipe/Getty

Luann de Lessepstells PEOPLE she regrets not getting some booty with the “pirate” in St. Barths — especially because everyone thinks she did!

The cabaret star famously flirted with aJohnny Depp-lookalike back in season 5 of theThe Real Housewives of New York City, leading her costars (and fans at home) to believe for years that the two had hooked up.

That speculation only got worse when de Lesseps, now 58, was caught in a hot mic moment speaking French to friends on the phone, begging them to cover for her and confirm her story that she hadn’t brought the pirate back to the cast villa after hours (even though she had).

Luann de Lesseps at the 2023 Angel Ball at Cipriani Wall Street on October 23, 2023 in New York City.Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Since then, de Lesseps hasn’t been able to shake the rumors, despite she and the pirate — whose real name isTomas Ribiero— both denying anything sexual happened between the two. And de Lesseps knows a return to St. Barths (and a teased reunion with Ribiero) forReal Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacyis about to stir it up all over again.

“Oh, this rumor never goes away,” she tells PEOPLE, ahead of the Peacock series' premiere next week. “I didn’t have sex with the pirate! I’ve said it for years now. I say it on the show. And in the end, the girls are still in interviews like, ‘Well … I think she kind of slept with the pirate….’ It blows my mind!”

“These women, they know everything about me. I’m an open book,” the Countess adds. “I’m telling you, if I did the pirate, I would wear it like a badge of honor!”

Jacques Azoulay and Luann de Lesseps pose at the opening night of the new Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical “Bad Cinderella” on Broadway at The Imperial Theatre on March 23, 2023 in New York City.Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Bruce Glikas/WireImage

So why did she lie? It had to do with her relationship withJacques Azoulay, whom she was dating then.

“My goal at the time was really to protect Jacques, because Jacques and I were very much together — living together — and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s going to see this on television. He’s going to see I brought a pirate back with me and think something happened, when all I was doing was showing him around the villa.' So it was really about covering that up. I was trying to make sure my relationship didn’t fall apart.”

De Lesseps and Azoulay eventually did go their separate ways, though not because of anything scandalous. They dated for four years beforesplittingin 2013, the mother of two explaining inRHONY’s sixth season that “we don’t want the same things anymore.” They’ve remained friends since.

Ribiero has also kept in touch with de Lesseps, even surprising her on an episode ofWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohenin 2020.

Asked now if she would do things differently then, de Lesseps laughs.

“At this point, I wish that Ihaddone the pirate,” she tells PEOPLE. “I do. They’ve worn me down, so I’ll just say it — I wish I had done the pirate.”

Her costarKelly Killoren Bensimonis quick to chime in: “You still can!”

Moments like that happen frequently inRHUGT: RHONY Legacy, which sees de Lesseps and Bensimon reunite withDorinda Medley,Sonja Morgan,Ramona SingerandKristen Taekman

“To go back to that house in St. Barths was just surreal,” she tells PEOPLE. “There’s so many things that happened in that house, and to be back with the ladies there — and then throw some new ones in the mix — I was nervous. I didn’t know how it was going to play out. But I think we were all in such a great place that we just let loose and had fun.”

“Of course, we do pull down that fourth wall and get into all that stuff. But the show is really about true friends just enjoying one another,” she says. “And that’s the beauty of it. It’s good, clean fun. It’s not dark, like a lot of these shows can tend to me. It’s just what we need for the moment.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The first three episodes ofThe Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacywill be available to stream on Dec. 14, with new episodes available every Thursday.

source: people.com