Jules Wainstein Wants Opening Up About Her Eating Disorder to "Be a Positive Thing"

Jules Wainstein and Bethenny Frankel haven't exactly started out on the right foot this season of The Real Housewives of New York City. The RHONY newbie was particularly offended at the Skinnygirl mogul's comments about her work-in-progress Hamptons home during last week's episode. 

So when Jules invited Bethenny to lunch to tell her how she feels about her criticism, there was always the possibility that the meal would end in tears. And it did, but for a totally different reason. 

Jules opened up to Bethenny about her battle with an eating disorder in her late teens and early 20s. Bethenny, whose mother battled an eating disorder, felt much closer to Jules after this revelation. "I think it's really vulnerable and courageous, and I have a lot of respect for Jules for sharing this," Bethenny said during the episode. "I've known people who for their whole, entire lives never admit it."

Some of Jules' castmates also showed their support after she shared her story on RHONY.

The RHONY rookie also said she felt "100 percent" more connected with Bethenny after the sit-down when she appeared on Wednesday's episode of Watch What Happens Live (clip above). She also explained why she decided to be so open about her past with Bethenny. "You know, I'm not like, 'Hi, I'm Julianne Wainstein, and I have an eating disorder,'" she told Andy Cohen. "But if it's appropriate, like at that time we had lunch together, and she asked me why I had a break in my college years. And I said, 'Oh, because I was in a treatment center.' It was the right time, and I'm very open about it. It's part of my recovery." 

Jules also touched on how having an eating disorder still affects her life. "Every day's a new day. You're never cured of an eating disorder, but you live with it, and you can live a life with it. It's really hard to talk about," she said. "You can live with it, and you can live a normal life." 

She also said she was prepared to talk about her past on RHONY this season, and she hopes that she can help others by doing so. "I knew it would be a topic, but I thought it would be a positive thing. I'm hoping it to be a positive thing," she said. "And I'm very open about it, and I'm hoping that maybe someone watching, a viewer watching will see my story and I can maybe help them."

For more information on and resources for dealing with eating disorders, visit the National Eating Disorders Association's website.

Watch Jules and Bethenny's emotional moment, below.

Jules Confides in Bethenny