On the gripping Real Housewives of New York reunion, Jill Zarin urged Kelly Bensimon not to do another season of the hit Bravo show because it was hurting her family’s image.

But Bensimon says she would love to give it another go.

“I think it would be really fun to come back for another season,” she told Usmagazine.com Wednesday at the 2009 H&M Fashion Against AIDS Collection in NYC. “I really enjoyed all the women — I think they’re all so unique. I really enjoyed spending time with them and getting to know them.”

Even Bethenny Frankel?

“Everybody – absolutely!” she told Us. “A fight is a fight — who cares?”

Bensimon described herself as “very pragmatic.”

“Just because we had a moment doesn’t mean that moment continues,” she told Us. “A moment has a beginning, a middle, an end – and it’s over. I’m like, ‘Next move.’”

She said her favorite moments on the show were with her two daughters, Teddy, 8, and Sea, 10.

“I was just so proud as a mother to see my children on television,” she said. “I was so impressed that they were so poised and that they handled themselves so well. They weren’t intimidated by the process, and they really enjoyed it.”

“I had a really great time doing it, and it’s just another adventure,” she added of her time on the show. “Life is an adventure. You have two choices — you can sit or you can be in it. I like to be in it.”

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From phone sex to Botox, Danielle Staub has already injected drama into The Real Housewives of New Jersey but, as viewers of Bravo’s reality hit know, it’s about to get really ugly.

Tuesday’s episode showed skeptical costar Caroline Manzo promising to thoroughly investigate Staub after hearing rumors about her acquaintance. And in a preview of next week’s episode, it appears the Manzo family has done just that, discovering a book, Cop Without a Badge, that purports to expose secrets from Staub’s past.

New Jersey’s Star-Ledger obtained a copy of the out-of-print book, and revealed its contents, which expose Staub, 46, as a woman named Beverly Merrill, a one-time stripper with a criminal past.

According to the book, Merrill met the subject of Cop Without a Badge, a felon-turned-FBI informant named Kevin Maher, at a drug party in Miami in the ’80s. Their meeting came after she was released on $10,000 bail following an arrest on charges she was involved in the alleged kidnapping of a man who owed her drug dealer friend money. As a result, Merrill and her dealer friend were caught by police and charged with extortion, kidnapping and possession after they failed to collect a ransom from their victim’s father.

But with his police connections, Maher allegedly helped Merrill get a deal, and she pleaded guilty only to the charge of extortion. She was sentenced to five years probation, according to the report.

The book then goes on to say that Merrill wed Maher (he was married when they met) and attempted to start a family. But Merrill, who was dancing at the strip club Satin Dolls in Lodi, N.J., under the name Danielle, was not a suitable partner for Maher, and he left her.

The book also includes more sensational reports about Merrill’s aversion to wearing underwear, her drug use and sleeping with more than 1,000 men.

When reached for a comment, a Bravo rep would only encourage viewers to tune in, saying, “Watch what happens.” According to Star-Ledger’s report, the book Cop Without a Badge received some skeptical reviews on Amazon.com from people apparently closely associated with Maher’s family.

But Gawker.com conducted a public records search, which revealed that Danielle Staub did indeed go by the names Beverly Merrill, Danielle Maher and Beverly Maher.

As for how the drama will play out on television with the Manzos’ own investigation, as it most undoubtedly will, well, stay tuned.

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Do you watch the Real Housewives of NYC? Then you’ll love this!

This had me laughing for the longest time.

Ramona is my favorite love-to-hate character on Real Housewives NYC! That and those crazy eyes! Yikes!

The ladies of The Real Housewives of Orange County may think bigger is better, but for The Real Housewives of New York City star Jill Zarin, less is definitely more. On April 7, she tells Life & Style in an exclusive interview, she had a breast reduction to bring her 32G-cup chest to a 34DD. “There is no reason anyone should have to suffer from low self-esteem or poor body image,” says Jill. “We have the power to change our bodies in a safe and positive way.” Here’s how and why she did just that.

L&S: What made you decide to get a reduction?

Jill: This was not a decision that happened overnight, that’s for sure. Time and gravity had taken their toll, and I developed health problems, which limited my physical activity over the years. Although they were fabulous assets until my mid-30s, they became a problem as time went on.

L&S: Were you hesitant to talk about it?

Jill: I wanted to go public with my story to show women there is no shame in wanting to look and feel your best as long as it’s done safely. I want to put an end to the rumor that a breast reduction and lift has to be a painful and long procedure.

L&S: How has it changed your life so far?

Jill: I’m still a 34DD and full, so most of my clothing seems to fit — but better. I still have to get the sports bra off, so I won’t really know what to do with them, so to speak, until May 1. I have some new Le Mystère bras waiting for me and can’t wait to go shopping for more. They never made pretty bras for women my size before.

L&S: Was the process easier knowing your family was there for you?

Jill: Absolutely. I could not have done it without my husband, Bobby, and my daughter, Allyson. Bobby took me to the hospital with my parents, Gloria and Sol. My parents stayed until the surgery was over and deemed a success. Bobby stayed with me every second. I’m planning Mother’s Day for Gloria now, and I think a Kodak digital frame will let me show all my photos with the new boobs.

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The Real Housewives of New York star Kelly Bensimon hasn’t put away her cat claws.

In May’s Harper’s Bazaar, she attacks Bethenny Frankel (again) for saying she has an “inauthenticity” to her in an early episode of the Bravo show.

“Is Bethenny a socialite? No.” Bensimon, 40, says. “Will she ever sit next to [socialite] Lauren DuPont? No. Is she best friends with [Estee Lauder Senior Vice President] Aerin Lauder? No. Am I? No. Do I care? No. Does she? Oh, absolutely. She’s not authentic.”

“All she does is sit there and cry all the time,” she continues. “I’m like, You’re crying about guys? And shut up.”

Wait, there’s more.

“Honestly, if being inauthentic means graduating from Columbia University, writing three books, starting two magazines, bearing two children [daughters Sea, 10, and Teddy, 8], being the ambassador for wool, running a marathon for charity — if that’s inauthentic? Tell me what authentic is,” she says.

In an email to Usmagazine.com, Frankel, 38, laughs off Bensimon’s remarks: “Who is Lauren DuPont? The only person I want to hang out with is Jill Zarin.”

Benismon — who faces a misdemeanor assault charge after she allegedly punched her ex-boyfriend, Nick Stefanov — also says she has some regrets about appearing on the show.

“One of the worst things about putting yourself out there is exposing yourself to situations you never dreamed would be a reality,” she says.

Still, asked if she could be anyone else for a day, she replies, “I would be me. Every single day. With criticism, without criticism. Just to be me. Because what’s so bad about that?”

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Splitting from the Count hasn’t been easy, Countess LuAnn de Lesseps tells Usmagazine.com.

“It’s been really difficult for me,” The Real Housewives of New York City star says. “I just need time.”

The New York Post first reported that LuAnn separated from her husband, Count Alex de Lesseps, after she learned that he met another woman in Europe. The two — who just celebrated their 16th anniversary on March 16 — have two children, Victoria and Noel.

“We are going to be friends, and we’re going to do the best thing for our kids,” the Countess tells Us.And, yes, she is keeping her Countess title.

“Absolutely, darling!” she told Us. “I’ll always be the Countess!”

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