The <i>Real Housewife</i> You've Not Yet Met

I'm the Real Housewife you've not yet met. I'm not really in the first episode all that much. And I thought I'd take this opportunity to give you a little background information about me. I met my husband when I was 18. We got married at 21, we had two kids, and then we started a business together called the L.L. Knickerbocker Company. I did product development and he ran the company and it became very successful. We worked in celebrity-driven products. We're the folks behind the Marie Osmond dolls on QVC, some Bob Mackie stuff, clothing, perfume, the list is very long...

So, we had a great company and a great life. We worked a lot of hours. It's the typical thing. We worked and worked and worked and it broke up our marriage and that was pretty much it.

I watched the first season when it aired. I thought that it showed these families in raw reality. Good times, bad times. It's not always perfect. I lived in Coto during that time, and it's a small, tightly-knit, family community. Of course there are those who want to keep our little secret private. And here we are, the Housewives, opening up those doors.

And I think some of those who live here don't want people to think that we represent all the housewives. Which we don't. These are just stories about our individual families. I had been asked to be on the first season, but I was going through a lot. It sounded like fun, but I just didn't have the time. My bio says that I'm "Understated in comparison to the other housewives." I think that just means that I used to have a lot more money than I do now. I understand that money doesn't buy happiness. I mean, it's good, it pays the bills. But unless you know how to handle it, unless you can juggle it with kids and time and your life, it's really hard to have it all.

I guess that if I were to introduce myself to fans of the show, I'd say this: I try to look at everybody and try to see the good, because I think that makes your life happier. I think that people have hard times and bad times. And I know, looking at everyone, that there's always a heart in there somewhere. Happy watching, everyone!