Chelsea Lazkani is proud of how she was able to come out the other side after a challenging season of Selling Sunset.
In an exclusive interview for Us Weekly’s Reality Stars of the Year issue, Chelsea, 31, reflected on the difficulties that came with her personal life being at the center of season 8.
“The universe said they’re not ready to take me out yet. That’s all it was,” she recalled. “Every day is still a little bit of a battle, but it’s a little less of a battle than it once was.”
Chelsea “did not think” she was going to “overcome” the issues when they first came up on screen, adding, “My mental health was at its all time low. I still filmed [though]. I did not miss a day of filming. I did not miss a scene. I did not miss a listing appointment. I didn’t miss anything when it came to work.”
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The reality star got visibly emotional about the period in her life.
“I’m shaking right now because it’s still a little bit sensitive for me. I was depressed a lot of the time while filming for a number of months,” Chelsea told Us. “I don’t know how I made it through. But being on the other side, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I am so glad to be here.’ Because I didn’t think I’d be here at all, to be honest.”
Selling Sunset, which debuted in 2019, follows employees at high-end Los Angeles real estate brokerage the Oppenheim Group. Chelsea joined the cast during season 5 and quickly became a fan favorite due to her passion for her work, stylish looks and memorable quips.
Season 8 shifted to focus on Chelsea’s personal life. Us confirmed in March that Chelsea submitted paperwork to end her marriage after seven years. The decision to call it quits played out on the show after Chelsea was told by costar Bre Tiesi that her now-estranged husband, Jeff Lazkani, was unfaithful.
“When the story line evolved, I [should have] said it once and once firmly that, ‘Those of you that talk on this again will no longer have access to me.’ I would’ve said it once firmly and nipped it in the bud. I knew that would never be the case, but I think I was so vulnerable that I didn’t really get the opportunity to express to everybody,” Chelsea said about how her marital issues became the focus of the season. “I didn’t care about the nuances of things. I didn’t care about the budding story line of the friction between Bri and myself. I really just wanted to focus on [my] home [life].”
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She continued: “As I tried to hit that nail on the head many times, I could have hit it much stronger to really take what I was going through. Being like, ‘Hey, I just need love and support. I don’t care for the other stuff. I really don’t care for what else is transpiring going on. I just need love and support.’”
Despite having thoughts about walking away from the season, Chelsea is glad she didn’t.
“We have tens of millions of people watching us. We have little girls who look just like me and who depend on me to make it through hard times. How dare I give up? Because if I give up then they’re going to give up and they don’t stand a chance,” she explained to Us. “They already feel like I’m at the pinnacle. So I knew that even if I wanted to give up — and believe me I did — it’s not just about me.”
Around the time the season started airing, Chelsea and Chrishell Stause publicly showed support for Emma Hernan after their costar Nicole Young insinuated on the show that Emma had an affair with a married man. (Emma has since denied the allegations.)
With multiple cast members not being on good terms, Netflix ultimately decided not to proceed with a reunion special.
“I always love a reunion because I always love to clear the air — especially before potentially going into film the next season. It’s not really my call to make,” Chelsea shared with Us. “So I don’t really know whether we were going to get one or whether we weren’t going to get one. I just follow the schedule.”
Chelsea is now looking at the future with a fresh perspective. She’s also not ruling out a return to Selling Sunset if the show gets renewed for season 9.
“As much as I may not resonate with some of the ladies in the office, it would never stop me from doing my job,” she continued. “Do I know what the future looks like for me on TV? Absolutely not. But I’m going to make the right decision for my family and my business.”
There is one deal breaker for Chelsea — Bre’s friend Amanda Lynn making an appearance after being the person to bring up the claims about Jeff to the show.
“[My return is] not going to be based on somebody else being on the show. Unless it’s Amanda. If it’s Amanda, then I absolutely won’t be on the show,” Chelsea said. “If Amanda was on the show, I think I’ve made it emphatically clear that I absolutely would not step foot in front of those cameras again.”
Chelsea isn’t solely focused on Selling Sunset. Instead, she’s learning more about herself as she adjusts to the next chapter in her life.
“I got married very young. I met my soon to be ex-husband at 21. We were together for almost 10 years. Right now, I’m just focusing on Chelsea and focusing on my businesses,” she added. “I’m focused on building my empire and focusing on really expanding my real estate brand and love is always going to find me.”
For more with the Reality Stars of the Year, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
