Former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Cynthia Bailey has opened up about seeing her former close friend, NeNe Leakes, after her longtime husband, Gregg Leakes, sadly succumbed to cancer.
"We're obviously not friends anymore. However, just like the rest of the world, I had so much love and respect for Gregg and for what they shared together," Cynthia told Us Weekly's "Getting Real with the Housewives" podcast.
"I recruited Ms. Marlo [Hampton], and I was like, 'You have to come with me to meet her because I'm scared to go by myself, I haven't seen this woman in two years.' I did not want to turn up to the Linnethia Lounge to have the door slammed in my face."
On the television show, viewers watched NeNe and Cynthia's friendship blossom, but it ultimately crashed and burned towards the end. Her friendship with NeNe's show nemesis, Kenya Moore, didn't help but it was a mysterious leaked audio recording which proved to be the final nail in the coffin.
Cynthia says the reunion with NeNe was awkward.
"NeNe was very surprised. It was a little awkward at first. I think she was pretty much shocked to see me, but after, like, you know, 30 minutes or so, we were fine and I ended up staying to closing," she told the publication. "And we just felt like two years hadn't happened. It was just like old times."
While it was expected that Cynthia would reach out to NeNe (Cynthia and Gregg got along), Cynthia says her friendship with NeNe probably won't be repaired anytime soon.
"It either just has to be natural, organic, and more importantly, it has to be healthy for me. So, I'm fine with where we are just in a respectful, cordial place. I root for her from afar," she adds. "I'm always gonna love her and it just is what it is for me."