{"id":266974,"date":"2026-10-05T14:00:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T14:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/05\/dorinda-medley-is-embracing-independence-in-her-golden-life-i-dont-want-to-be-married\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T14:00:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T14:00:34","slug":"dorinda-medley-is-embracing-independence-in-her-golden-life-i-dont-want-to-be-married","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/05\/dorinda-medley-is-embracing-independence-in-her-golden-life-i-dont-want-to-be-married\/","title":{"rendered":"Dorinda Medley Is Embracing Independence in Her \u2018Golden Life\u2019: \u2018I Don\u2019t Want to Be Married\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Golden Life<\/em><\/a>\u2018s Dorinda Medley<\/strong><\/a> is still making it nice as she navigates a new decade \u2014 but she isn\u2019t interested in settling down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to be married,\u201d Dorinda, 61, exclusively reveals in Us<\/em>\u2018 annual Reality Stars of the Year<\/a> issue, which features the Golden Life<\/em> cast<\/a> on the cover.<\/p>\n

Dorinda jokes that she already has a \u201cgay husband\u201d (or \u201cgubbi\u201d) in her life, so she\u2019s \u201cnot really interested in being married again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done it twice. I think that\u2019s plenty for me,\u201d she adds. \u201cI really love my freedom \u2026 and I\u2019m happy. But, you know, you never say never. I think it\u2019s when you say you\u2019ll never do it that then you find yourself [in love]. So I\u2019m just open to happiness. That\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While she initially appeared as a guest on season 3 of The Real Housewives of New York City<\/em><\/a>, fans got to know Dorinda better when she officially joined the cast during season 7. Through holidays at her Blue Stone Manor estate in the \u201cBerzerkshires\u201d and unforgettable one-liners, Dorinda\u2019s love for her family was always front and center.<\/p>\n

Long before her reality TV era began, Dorinda was married to ex-husband Ralph Lynch<\/strong> from 1995 to 2005. The former couple welcomed daughter Hannah<\/strong>, now 33, before Dorinda moved on with her late husband, Richard Medley<\/strong>. RHONY<\/em> viewers also followed Dorinda\u2019s relationship with ex John Mahdessian<\/strong>, who she dated for seven years until 2019.<\/p>\n

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\n \u2018The Golden Life\u2019 cast<\/span> Brandon Harman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, Dorinda is entering a new chapter<\/a> with fellow RHONY<\/em> alums Luann de Lesseps<\/strong>, Sonja Morgan<\/strong>, Ramona Singer<\/strong> and Kelly Bensimon<\/strong> on E!\u2019s The Golden Life<\/em>, which brings the former Housewives from the Big Apple to Palm Beach, Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all at a point in our lives where we just have this incredible freedom to try new things. Things that used to tie us to New York City \u2014 or for me, the Berkshires \u2014 are no longer,\u201d the two-time Traitors<\/em> star tells Us<\/em> of what drew her to the show. \u201cI knew that all the girls were going to go down and film down there [in Florida]. And when they called and they asked, I thought, \u2018I\u2019m very much coming from a place of yes.\u2019 And I thought, \u2018This is great.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Dorinda compares the experience to being \u201cback in a sorority\u201d with her longtime friends. \u201cYou know, Luann lived in the same building as me, so I ran up in the morning and had coffee. She\u2019d run down. Everybody was really close,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s sunshine. It\u2019s very social. And it\u2019s just such a different way of life than I live, sort of, in New York City and at Blue Stone Manor. So I threw my hat in the ring and I said, \u2018Let\u2019s go for it.’\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>‘RHONY’ Stars Address Rumors They’re Feuding With ‘The Golden Life’ Cast<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tLeave it to Dorinda Medley to set the record straight. Medley, 61, squashed rumors that she and the former stars of Real Housewives of New York City are feuding with the reboot cast while chatting with Kiki Monique during a Tuesday, July 21, episode of her \u201cTalk of Shame\u201d podcast. She continued, \u201cAll this bulls*** [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Having been on reality TV for more than a decade, Dorinda is no stranger to a little conflict \u2014 and she isn\u2019t afraid to tell her costars to \u201cclip\u201d<\/a> when needed. But she also has a vulnerable side that fans rarely get to see.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat people don\u2019t know about me \u2014 I think if you love me and know me, you know this is very true \u2014 I am a warrior. I am a survivor, but I\u2019m very sensitive,\u201d she tells Us<\/em>. \u201cIf I really get hurt, I retreat. And I have to sometimes do that because I think I do give a lot of energy out in the world. And I think sometimes it gets too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

While she admits \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of pressure on women, generally, to be strong,\u201d she doesn\u2019t see her toughness as a flaw.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Carole Radziwill said, \u2018When I\u2019m good, I\u2019m great. When I\u2019m bad, I\u2019m terrible,’\u201d Dorinda teases, describing herself as a fiery Sagittarius with strongly held beliefs. \u201cI think I don\u2019t have a lot of gray in my life, because I think gray is where we slip up. You know, decisiveness is something that really, I think, helps me to get things done and keep my life in order. And I like being a strong woman for my daughter. You know, people don\u2019t f*** with me. Excuse my language.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Dorinda Medley<\/span> Brandon Harman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dorinda is proud to be \u201ctough,\u201d but she isn\u2019t one to start a fight. \u201cPeople know if they\u2019re going to come for me, you know, do it right. Because after that, I\u2019m going to react,\u201d she explains. \u201cBut what people don\u2019t realize [is] I\u2019m not usually the one that starts it, but I\u2019m not afraid to end it if I have to. It\u2019s not a negative to me. Because if I weren\u2019t strong and I was the type to fold up, I mean, where would I be today?\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only is Dorinda celebrating The Golden Life,<\/em> but she\u2019s also stepping outside of the box<\/a> as an aspiring DJ and budding actor. Her second book, I Know a Thing or Two About a Thing or Two<\/em>, hits shelves in November.<\/p>\n

While Dorinda is enjoying the \u201cfreedom\u201d \u2014 both personal and financial \u2014 that comes with age, motherhood is still one of her proudest achievements.<\/p>\n

\u201cHannah is off on her own. She\u2019s getting her PhD at Harvard, so we\u2019re very proud of her. And she\u2019s very happy,\u201d she gushes. \u201cWhat I love most about Hannah is she\u2019s so happy for me. \u2026 She\u2019s obviously a grown woman now, [but] I still find myself tending to call her for permission. \u2018Do you think it\u2019s a good idea to become a DJ? Would you read my chapter of my new book, I Know a Thing or Two About a Thing or Two<\/em>?’\u201d<\/p>\n

Dorinda adds, \u201cI think if I\u2019m strong, I make my daughter stronger. \u2026 I just wanted to make sure, as a woman, that I filled [Hannah\u2019s] toolbox of life with really the most important tools to handle not only good times, but handle the inevitable, which is bad times.\u201d<\/p>\n

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