AceShowbiz -

It's official; Bethenny Frankel is the Real Housewife again. Bravo announced on Monday, October 20 that the mother of one would join Carole Radziwill, Heather Thomson, Kristen Taekman, LuAnn de Lesseps, Ramona Singer and Sonja Morgan in the seventh season of "The Real Housewives of New York City". Rumors of her return had emerged a few weeks ago, but she denied it earlier this month.

Now, she opens up about her feelings to be back on the show. "I'm genuinely excited, with a side of slightly nervous, for my return to 'The Real Housewives of New York City'," Bethenny says in a statement. "Bravo has always been the place on television where I have the freedom to be unfiltered, honest and inappropriate, with an audience who has been with me from the beginning. I can't wait to see what this next chapter brings for all of us. Watch what happens!"

Executive producer Andy Cohen also comments on Frankel's return, "Bethenny is one of the most popular Housewives in the history of the franchise and I couldn't be more excited she is coming home to Bravo!"

Other cast members are also excited with the news. LuAnn tweets to Bethenny, "Welcome back," while Sonja tells Star Magazine that she's "very excited" to have Bethenny back into the fold. She also praises the 43-year-old author, saying that Bethenny has "star power, charisma, a great sense of humor...and doesn't take herself too seriously."

To Us Weekly, Bethenny reveals she decided to come back for a new start. "I'm such a different person and in such a different place than when I was on first season," she says. "Slightly exciting, a little bit of anxiousness, but it feels fresh. It doesn't feel like [how] I felt going into the third season of the Housewives. There was just so much muck and I just didn't feel it was good energy."

Aviva Drescher, who infamously threw her prosthetic leg during an argument with her co-stars in season 6, is not coming back for season 7.