CELEBRITY APPRENTICE Star Leeza Gibbons Talks Joining 'Real Housewives', Remembering Joan Rivers & More

The Celebrity Apprentice frontrunner Leeza Gibbons visits Maria Menounos' AfterBuzz TV, dishing on her co-stars, longtime friend Joan Rivers and that other reality show. Joining co-hosts Christy Olson, Grant Rutter and Jessica Carroll on The Celebrity Apprentice After-Show panel, Leeza admits she nearly bailed on the competition in its early stages and declares, "I don't mess with mean."

Though Leeza's quickly become a fan favorite, the TV icon reveals she was a last minute add to this The Celebrity Apprentice season. She called on friends and former cast members Holly Robinson Peete and Marilu Henner for advice. "They said, listen, at first you're going to hate it. Like the first week you are going to be miserable, and they were right!" But Leeza's desire to win money for her charity, Leeza's Care Connection, kept her in the competition. "My strategy is I want to show up to be my mother's daughter and be as strong as she was and courageous as she was, and I want to honor every caregiver like my dad."

But it hasn't been easy she admits, exclaiming, "I'm locked in Trump Tower, come get me!" The veteran host, author and advocate looked to another old friend for inspiration. Former The Celebrity Apprentice champion Joan Rivers makes what would become one of her final television appearances this season. "I loved her because she was just a big softie really," Leeza says, adding, "She redefined possibility."

One new relationship Leeza's forged during her stint on the show is with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, Brandi Glanville. "When I started Celebrity Apprentice I had never seen one of those shows," she admits. But viewers have since caught a glimpse of her on the hit Bravo show, when she attended Brandi's housewarming party, creating buzz that she may join the cast. So would Leeza ever consider becoming a Real Housewife? "No. No. No," she blatantly answers, seeming to shut down the rumors. "But you know what? Six months ago, even the night before I went on Celebrity Apprentice I would've said no. So you know life is kind of strange that way." Sounds like she could be convinced!

In this exclusive interview Leeza also talks about working with Atlanta Housewife Kenya Moore. "Kenya is very bright and she is very creative, as she will tell you." Kevin Jonas comes up in the conversation as well. "He was bold. And he overplayed his hand. And I don't think he regrets it."

Check out the full video:

Visit http://site.afterbuzztv.com/shows/the-celebrity-apprentice-s14-leeza-gibbons-guests-on-its-like-a-booze-cruise-of-knowledge-e5-afterbuzz-tv-aftershow/ or on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/celebrity-apprentice-afterbuzz/id426189174?mt=2 for more The Celebrity Apprentice scoop from Afterbuzz TV.

"You know so much more about the show than those of us on the show," Leeza joked with the hosts.

ABOUT AFTERBUZZ TV:
With over 23 million weekly downloads from over 150 countries, AfterBuzz TV is an online broadcast network created by E! host Maria Menounos and producer Keven Undergaro. Nicknamed the 'after-show' network, when viewers finish watching episodes of their favorite shows, they can go to afterbuzztv.com to watch or listen to a post-game 'after-show' for that series. On each AfterBuzz TV after-show an eclectic and knowledgeable mix of celebrities, personalities and industry professionals break down that night's episode, take calls from fans and interview guests. The network produces over 90 after-shows per week. The network also produces "Spotlight On", an in depth, long-form interview series with stars and show runners.