Bethenny Frankel On Her Fight With LuAnn de Lesseps: 'I Don't Take It Off The Court'

The reality star opens up about her relationship with the Countess

Photo: Heidi Gutman/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Bethenny Frankel and Countess LuAnn de Lesseps may have battles onscreen, but the Skinnygirl mogul insists there’s no bad blood once the cameras stop rolling.

Frankel describes The Real Housewives of New York City as a “pressure cooker,” in which things can boil over, but when the show isn’t shooting, she says those things don’t affect their relationship.

“I don’t take it off the court,” the star tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.

• For more from Bethenny Frankel and her health journey, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

In an episode earlier this month, Frankel confronted the Countess about her partying and dating life, calling her a “hypocrite.” Even so, Frankel says she’s “happy” for De Lesseps, who got engaged to Tom D’Agostino Jr. in February.

“I’m happy for LuAnn that she’s in love,” says Frankel. “I have a long relationship with these women because I’ve been on the show with some of them for so many years.”

Frankel says she has had some communication with the Countess as the most recent season has been airing.

“I’ve reached out to her a couple times saying, ‘I hope you’re happy.’ ‘Sorry about this thing that happened that hasn’t been aired yet,’ ” says Frankel. “I find the show to be a comedy, so I don’t really like live in it. “I don’t think that it’s all that serious. I’ve been going through an ordeal with my divorce and I have a business to run, so I don’t have a lot of time thinking about what already happened on the show.”

The Real Housewives of New York City airs Wednesdays (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.