‘RHORI’ Star Rulla Pontarelli Unveils Stunning Plastic Surgery Transformation After 25-Year Wait
Rulla also said she had considered further cosmetic work after seeing how she appeared on camera during filming.
Published June 23 2026, 8:12 a.m. ET
The Season 1 reunion of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, which aired Sunday on Bravo, revisited two of the season’s central storylines: Rulla Nehme Pontarelli’s cosmetic surgeries and her husband Brian Pontarelli’s alleged affair.
Executive producer and reunion host Andy Cohen opened the conversation about Rulla's appearance early in the episode. "You look zhuzhed in the face. Talk to me about what's different," Cohen said.
Rulla did not hold back. "Well, after 25 years of debate, I finally decided to go ahead and get my rhinoplasty and a very minuscule lip lift while I was at it," she told Cohen.
She also said she had considered further cosmetic work after seeing how she appeared on camera during filming.
The cast reacted backstage and on stage. Ashley Iaconetti told her, "Your nose looks so pretty."
Rosie DiMare said she thought Rulla looked younger, adding, "I thought she had a facelift."
Alicia Carmody linked the new look directly to the infidelity storyline, saying of Brian, "Brian's probably happy. It's like sleeping with another woman."
Rulla on Her Husband's Affair
The reunion also returned to the subject of Brian's alleged affair, which had run through much of the season. Cohen pressed the couple directly on their marriage, with Carmody again bringing the matter to the floor. Rulla held firm, saying their marriage was stronger than ever and that she had no regrets about staying.
“The reason why I made certain decisions to kind of continue on is just because of who I am and what I consider to be important," she said. "That is all in the past. Major, major series of mistakes, but it's definitely water well under the bridge, dead and buried, where it should be."
Earlier, in an April interview with Us Weekly, Rulla said, "Brian is the person who I've known my entire life. For any mistakes or misjudgements he's made, I can honestly tell everyone that he has more than repented his sins."
She added that staying in the marriage after infidelity, in her view, reflects strength rather than weakness. "For a woman with values, it actually makes you a stronger person."
She also addressed what she described as a broader reality about relationships.
"People have lapses of judgment, a lot of people out there have lapses of judgment, or their husbands or their wives have, but it just never came to light, or they never admitted it," she said.
“There's a lot of that stuff that goes on that we don't know about, or that's never admitted,” she said, adding, “In this case, certain things were brought to light and I've navigated them as best as possible. I truly take things day by day."