Heather Dubrow 'Shed a Few Tears' Over Castmates Spreading Rumors About Her: 'It's Upsetting'

Heather Dubrow was left licking her wounds after the drama unfolded during Season 18 of The Real Housewives of Orange County .

The reality television legend was deeply hurt after rumors ran rampant amongst her fellow castmates that she and her husband, Dr. Terry Dubrow , personally hired photographers who spotted them during a family day at Disneyland.

Dubrow chats exclusively with OK! about how she emotionally handled her group of friends letting her down, bouncing back from a rocky Season 17, how she's maintained her chic East Coast style in California and her new line with acclaimed designer Susan Bender .

"The new girl has a laundry list of things that she's upset with me about, which is honestly very weird because I don't know her," the brunette beauty says of rookie Katie Ginella , who was the first person to bring up the rumors. "The inauthenticity of all of that is odd. It's upsetting, but I don't care about it to my core."

"What I care about is watching the other girls who are my friends sort of celebrating this potential demise," she continues. "I shed a few tears."

The betrayal comes after a tough past installment of the Bravo series where Dubrow seemed deeply misunderstood by her fellow Housewives, causing her to be iced out by most of the ladies. "We didn't have closure at the reunion. There were definitely people who stood in their convictions and just leaned into how they felt and even presented with facts that weren't interesting. I had to make a solid choice to go, 'Okay, I can't control other people . I can only control myself. How do I walk back in?' I have to, in my brain, sort of wipe the slate clean and try to figure out who my actual friends are," the actress notes.

Now, Dubrow is focused on her new collaboration with Bender, which showcases beautifully made leather and riffs from the style maven's classic atheistic. "I love fashion — and this happened so organically. I've been wearing Susan's pieces for years. She sells all over the place , but she sells at this boutique called Lisa Walker ," she explains. "So, I was always wearing this little crop leather jacket, and we became Instagram friends. One day, Susan messaged me and she said, 'Oh my God, every time you wear that jacket, people call and ask for the Heather Dubrow jacket!'"

The move for Dubrow was a no-brainer, especially as she's begun to style herself instead of leaning on a fashion guru. "Like a lot of women, I go through phases. I've had years where I used stylists, and I ended up about two years ago deciding to just do it on my own because I felt like I got to a point where I didn't even understand what I liked. I didn't feel like myself because I was trying to fit into some mold or trying to be someone or something that I'm not," the businesswoman adds.

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"Clothes are an interesting fit. You show up in the world differently depending on what you're wearing," Dubrow says. "When you wear an outfit that's your gold star outfit that you love and you go somewhere, you feel great. So, I decided I'm going to do my own clothes again. If people don't like them, I don't care. All I care is that I like them."

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.