Lisa Vanderpump Laments a 'Tough Year' While Celebrating Her 59th Birthday

Lisa Vanderpump is looking ahead to a brighter future on her 59th birthday after a "tough year" filled with the loss of family members and friends as the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills OG left the Bravo show (and her relationship with Kyle Richards) behind her. Sharing a video to Instagram of herself blowing a kiss, Vanderpump thanked her fans for sticking with her through it all.

"Thank you for your birthday wishes!" she wrote. "It's been a tough year, but next year will be better!"

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A post shared by Lisa Vanderpump (@lisavanderpump) on Sep 14, 2019 at 8:57pm PDT

Vanderpump left The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in June, first skipping out on reunion filming after a tough season in which her relationships with the other women were damaged by "Puppygate" drama amid her mourning the suicide of brother Mark Vanderpump. The restaurateur's brother died just days before filming began at the age of 59 as the result of a drug overdose.

In June, Vanderpump's mother also passed away, causing her to pause Vanderpump Rules filming.

"As you go to RIP with Mark, mummy. A tragic year for sure," she tweeted after her mother's death. "I thank all of you for your beautiful messages and words of kindness. Life is so fragile and I have no time for negativity."

In an interview with Daily Express following her exit, Vanderpump explained that filming a combative season of RHOBH so soon after the death of her brother was all too much.

"I was tearful most days filming Housewives last season," she admitted. "The whole cast ganged up on me, and I was just weary."

"I was emotionally depleted. I started filming two days after my brother's funeral, which was challenging at best," the reality star continued. "I wanted to take the year off, and didn't want to be in the emotionally combative situation that Housewives often entails. But I owed them my loyalty, and commitment."

Dealing with the Puppygate drama in this dark place turned out to be the last straw for the SUR boss.

"I didn't have time for the petty bull—t, really," she explained. "People are screaming at you. They were arguing about who said what about a dog! I've had enough. It just became too much."

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