After being spotted having what appeared to be a cozy lunch in New York City with French businessman Olivier Sarkozy, ‘The Real Housewives Legacy: Girls Trip‘s Countess Luann de Lesseps is setting the record straight on the pair’s relationship.
“Listen, we’ve known each other a long time,” the Marry F Kill! cabaret star, 58, tells Life & Style exclusively. “He’s French. I love French boys. [Ex-boyfriend] Jacques [Azoulay] and my first husband [Count Alexandre de Lesseps] was French. We’re friends and we had lunch and people like to speculate.”
Luann de Lesseps and Jacques Azoulay
Luann tells Life & Style that because there’s nothing romantic going on, the duo have nothing to hide, which is why being photographed in public hasn’t bothered her.
“I just think that depending on what restaurant you go to, the choice of restaurants, we have to be careful because there’s paparazzi around everywhere,” Luann shares. “I feel like Le Bilboquet, there’s going to be paparazzi [on] Madison Avenue, so maybe not the greatest choice if you’re trying to hide something.”
“So there you have it. I mean, obviously we didn’t care because we are friends, but if you’re trying to hide something, then you need to lay a little lower in terms of what restaurants you go to, and I don’t really care what people think anymore. I mean, it used to matter a lot more to me. Now, let them speculate.”
In fact, Luann goes so far back with Olivier that she knew his ex-wife, fashion designer Mary-Kate Olsen.
“I’ve only met her once,” Luann says. Despite the two just being friends, Luann shares there is something about Olivier that draws him to her.
“Like I said, I love French men.”
Luann admits she will fully embrace her single relationship status in her upcoming cabaret tour, Marry F Kill!, which has upcoming stops in Huntington, New York, at the Paramount Theater on Saturday, March 16 and The Wiltern on March 22.
“I love it because I talk about the reasons I marry, the reasons I eff [and] the reasons I want to get rid of somebody,” Luann says, noting it’s “totally different” from her previous cabaret shows.
“I’m just having fun. I’m single. I’m having fun and enjoying being single. I don’t have to answer to anyone. I get to do what I want to do, and it’s really freeing. I of course want to have that person in my life, somebody who’s my rock. I can lean on a partner. I haven’t found that person yet, so I’m just dating until I do.”
Fans can purchase tickets for Marry F Kill! here as Luann continues her tour into April in San Francisco, Modesto and Sacramento.
