Lisa Hochstein wanted to go ahead with the gossip.
When the “Real Housewives of Miami” star returned to reviving Peacock, she knew she had to address husband Dr. Lenny Hochstein’s “relationship” with a woman she described in the season 4 premiere as “$2 ho.”
“I have reservations about sharing that,” Lisa, 39, told Page Six exclusively, reflecting on the heartbreaking period in her marriage that nearly led to a divorce after the cameras stopped in 2013 for the original show of “RHOM” on Bravo.
“But I knew it was something I had to touch on because it wasn’t really there, but eventually someone blew the whistle. I was like, ‘Okay, let me beat everyone up just to discuss it,'” she continued.
“It makes me real. It shows that I am real and that I am human and that nothing is perfect in life.”
As viewers of seasons 2 and 3 remember, the Hochsteins’ marriage was put to the test after several failed attempts to start a family. Their struggles with fertility caused cracks in the house and led to a brief separation, as Lenny, a famous plastic surgeon, sought validation elsewhere.
“I try not to think about it. Lisa told us about that time in her life. I just try to focus on the present and how much my kids are having fun.”
The pair eventually overcome Lenny’s tangle – and will eventually realize their two dreams of becoming parents twice with the birth of their son Logan, 6, and daughter Elle, 2, both welcomed by a surrogate.
“I think people give up way too easily, and I hope, if anything, that I inspire people to keep going,” Lisa said, advising other couples to “not give up hope” if they too are facing similar challenges.
“Look, if I didn’t do that, I wouldn’t be living my life the way it is today,” she explained. “I didn’t have my kids! What a tragedy if I didn’t have Logan Weil. You gotta try.”
55-year-old Lisa and Lenny have certainly been working to preserve their nearly 15-year marriage and have found an important therapy in couples therapy.
“It was very helpful,” she said of the two-session sessions. “Look, we’ve probably been separated for a month and a half. It wasn’t a long separation. We soon realized we couldn’t live without each other. It was devastating for both of us. I think we almost needed to go through this to discover that we wanted to be together, and that we couldn’t possibly live without each other. We part.”
Although the owner of Hochstein Medspa admitted that navigating the ups and downs of her marriage on reality TV has been difficult at times, she’s grateful for the experience because she believes it made her partnership with Lenny only bulletproof.
“It was a challenge because we put ourselves out there for public scrutiny and opinions. You open up your life so much that almost people want a part of it,” she explained.
“It made us stronger because we are a success story. We have been together for so long. We have overcome so much in the public eye and behind closed doors. And here we are, we still stand strong and live a great life.”
“The Real Housewives of Miami” is available to stream on Peacock.
.