Lisa Vanderpump Defends Kim Richards, Says She’s ‘1000 Percent’ Sure Former ‘RHOBH’ Star Is Sober

Lisa Vanderpump has Kim Richards’ back, even if the feeling isn’t always mutual. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star has revealed that she has been in contact with her former co-star, especially after the recent death of Richards’ ex-husband, Monty Brinson. But Vanderpump also added that she is just now seeing some of the nasty things their fellow RHOBH cast mates said about Kim while filming the currently-airing sixth season of the show, and she is not happy about some of it. In an interview with E! News, Vanderpump said she hates seeing the rest of the RHOBH cast talking smack about Kim behind her back.

“She’s so lovely and the problems that she’s kind of had, it’s been very difficult for her, I would imagine. But you know what, really, I hate? It’s now if I see the show and I see people being negative about her, I hate that.”

The most recent episode of RHOBH had co-star Lisa Rinna recounting a bizarre limo ride with Richards last year. In her rant, Rinna called her ex-cast mate a lunatic and compared her to an attack dog. While newbie Housewife Kathryn Edwards jumped in to defend people with substance abuse issues (and to reveal the heartbreaking news that her own father was an addict who killed himself when she was 13-years-old), Lisa Vanderpump clearly felt uncomfortable after seeing the catty conversation play out on the Bravo reality show, and she wasted no time in making her feelings on the subject known.

Kim Richards has publicly battled substance abuse and legal issues over the past few years, and the death of her ex, whom she remained extremely close to and even cared for during his cancer battle, was another big blow to her. But have her RHOBH cast mates been there for her in her time of need?

Lisa Vanderpump said that she and her husband, Ken Todd, had been invited to Monty Brinson’s memorial service, but they were unable to attend. Still, Lisa is close enough to the Richards family (most notably, Kim’s sister, Kyle) to confirm that Kim is staying on track when it comes to her sobriety. Vanderpump told E! that she is “1,000 percent sure” Richards remains sober.

Vanderpump previously expressed her support for the struggling former child star. Last fall, Lisa noted that her RHOBH co-star was missing from her Hero Dog Awards Benefit luncheon because she was hospitalized for her sobriety issues. Vanderpump told Us Weekly that she was sorry Richards wasn’t there, but that it was probably for the best.

“Well, I’m sorry Kim’s not here because of the situation. That’s the thing. But I think her sobriety is more important than any reality show. And I think a lot of people recognize that fact and that’s probably why she’s not in this season.”

In a separate Us interview, Vanderpump revealed that she saw her former co-star and that was doing great. Lisa also offered her support to Richards, and praised her for her commitment to her treatment this time around.

“The most important thing is her sobriety and I’m glad that she has achieved that. She has really kind of committed to that. And I think, what can we do? Nothing but support her. And hope the best for her in the future.”

Of course, Lisa Vanderpump’s warm feelings towards Richards could be one-sided. Kim recently said that Lisa has a big heart towards the people that cares about, but she also called the Vanderpump Rules boss boss a “phony.”

Check out the video below to see Kim talk about Lisa Vanderpump.

[Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images]