Cynthia Bailey is providing more insight into why she was absent from Gregg Leakes memorial service. Gregg, the longtime husband of Bailey’s former BFF and Real Housewives of Atlanta co-star Nene Leakes. He died after a three-year battle with colon cancer on Sept. 1.
To honor Gregg’s life, Nene held a celebration of life service at her Georgia restaurant and lounge, The Linnethia. Several of Nene’s RHOA co-star’s attended, including Phaedra Parks and Kenya Moore. Bailey did not attend but she did visit Nene’s lounge the following week to pay her respects.
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In a recent radio interview, Nene made comments about Bailey that many perceived as shady, and at minimum, unappreciative. “She didn’t even come to the repast,” NeNe said during an appearance on V-103’s radio show. “She did come, like, a week later after everything was done. She came by my lounge.”
Bailey previously told several media outlets that though she was unable to attend the memorial service, she went out of her way to ensure she visit Nene in-person to pay her respects. Bailey and Nene have been estranged for some time. Nene did not even attend Bailey’s Oct. 2020 wedding to Mike Hill. With no contact with one another, Bailey enlisted the help of Marlo Hampton to help orchestrate the visit.
But Bailey is speaking out again after Nene’s latest comments. “Let me just say this first: I know that NeNe is still mourning the loss of her husband,” Bailey told E! News’ Daily Pop on Oct. 28. “And you can’t tell people how to mourn…However, I do think that—you know, speaking for myself—I came with the best of intentions. I was not able to make it to Gregg’s celebration but it was my mission in life to make sure I connected with NeNe once I went back to Atlanta. And I did.” Bailey says at the time of getting the invitation to Gregg’s ceremony, she and her husband were in LA.
“When we did connect, for me, it was even better than if I had gone to the celebration because I got to spend some real-time with her one on one,” Bailey continued. “We laughed, we drank, we smoked hookah, we danced. I was like, this is the way it was supposed to be, because I felt like I had at least reconnected with my old friend on just a respectful level. And that’s why I was there. I’m very clear that we’re not friends any longer,” she added. “But in the spirit of the beloved Gregg Leakes, I wanted to go and sit with my old friend.”
