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Credit: Phylicia J. L. Munn/Bravo

Season nine of The Real Housewives of Potomac represents a step in the right direction for the series. Many are crediting the success of the season to Gizelle Bryant‘s changed behavior, but the impact Stacey Rusch is having also can’t be denied.

One of the most significant topics surrounding Stacey in her debut season has been her divorce and her romance/friendship with Thomas Anthony “TJ” Jones. Now, she’s shared new pictures of her ex-husband, Thiemo Rusch, and their adorable daughter, and she’s opening up about where she stands with the cast.

As fans know, season eight of RHOP wasn’t the greatest. In fact, some fans stopped watching midway through the installment, and some haven’t returned. Still, it seems production realized the show’s problems because the live ratings have been pretty steady this season, and many are looking forward to the reunion. 

Recently, Stacey took to Instagram to show off her trip to Mexico for Christmas. The post contains three images, two of which are from the beach, and one from what looks to be a restaurant. Her adorable daughter is in all three of the snaps, and her ex-husband is also in one of them. Naturally, they’re all smiles as the holidays have a way of making people put whatever issues they have aside. 

RHOP star Stacey Rusch poses with her daughter and estranged husband Thiemo Rusch amid the holidays

Many people took to the comments to remark on the beautiful family, including RHOP friend of Jassi Rideaux, who said, “Merry Christmas to the Rusch family.”

Wendy Osefo also commented, “Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family.”

In other Stacey news, she recently did an interview with Bravo’s Daily Dish as she was recovering from a breast reduction procedure. During the interview, they asked how she was feeling about watching the show back. 

She said, “I have to say, as I’ve been recovering, I’ve been watching the show along with everyone else every Sunday, and there have been some things that I’m seeing that are alarming; like people forget that we’re watching the show with them.”

The RHOP newbie continued, “So, I’m seeing things and getting exposed to the lives of my friends in a way that I didn’t before. So, it’s really exciting for me to watch along with everybody else, and alarming to see people who I thought were my friends saying things.”

Specifically, she has had adverse reactions to some of the things Wendy has said about her, and she brought up a clip of Wendy from Fan Fest in Miami. According to Stacey, “I saw a clip of her in Miami. It’s alarming to see Wendy say negative things about TJ and me, considering the fact that she’s well aware of our relationship. She knows us, and she’s also well aware that TJ and Eddie [Osefo] are friends, and they talk all the time. So, that was kind of hurtful.”

Notably, a clip of Wendy went viral where she accused TJ of being more interested in the male trainer from a scene that aired earlier this season. 

Still, Stacey said they are on good terms. She explained, “She is a real friend, and I receive what she’s saying. I receive it, so we’re good.”

Regarding her relationship with TJ, Stacey said she’s “so excited to give everyone an update at the reunion.”

Stacey went on to discuss some of her other cast members. She said, “It’s so shocking to see some scenes with Mia because it’s like you want the best for someone, but you see them making dangerous decisions.”

Regarding Karen Huger, she remarked on how sad she was at the passing of her assistant, Matthew “Matt” Byars. According to her, “Matt was so loved. I reached out to Karen; I’ve been praying for Karen; she lost her best friend; she has her court date coming up … I think, right now, we all need to rally around her and lift her up because I think that this a very sensitive time for her.”

She added, “I really think we should be rallying around her at this time.”

Fans can watch Stacey on RHOP on Sunday nights.