Kyle Richards Says Her Anxiety Has 'Started Kicking Up Again' While Thinking of Filming New RHOBH Season

Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock Kyle Richards

Kyle Richards has mixed feelings about returning to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

The 54-year-old reality star opened up to PEOPLE about her thoughts on filming RHOBH season 13 at the American Heart Association Red Dress Collection Concert in New York City on Wednesday.

"'Excited' is not necessarily the word I would use. But I love the people that I work with. I love working with the network and the production, and all those people are like family to me now," she said. "So I rely on them, that I have this relationship with them."

"It's funny because I haven't had anxiety in a while," she added. "And just talking about the show tonight, it started kicking up again. I was like, 'There's definitely a direct link between my anxiety and the show.'"

Tommy Garcia/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty The cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 12

RELATED: Kyle Richards Calls Lisa Rinna's RHOBH Departure 'a Big Loss': 'She Brought a Lot to the Show'

Richards revealed that she thinks about her future on the Bravo series "all the time" amid her costars Lisa Rinna and Diana Jenkins recently announcing their departure from the show.

"It's like kind of like the mafia, and then you get sucked back in," she joked. "What can I tell you?"

Richards also believes the viewership of the show will remain strong amid the cast shakeup.

"Over these 13 years, we've had cast members come and go, and the show is still number one," she shared. "So of course, Lisa brought so much to the show, a lot, and she'll be missed by cast and audience alike. But we always somehow ... I don't know, here we are 13 years later and the show is still number one."

Nicole Weingart/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

RELATED: Kathy Hilton Gets Real About Family Rough Patch as Kyle Richards Confirms RHOBH Is on 'Pause'

In December, Richards confirmed that filming of RHOBH was on "pause."

"It sounds more dramatic than it actually is," she told Extra. "I think we just kind of want to shift our schedule."

"We used to start in April, it's kind of inched its way over the years, but we are starting later this time," Richards added. "People think there must be some drama, 'they are starting late,' it's not that serious."

The reality star also admitted at the time that her relationship with sister Kathy Hilton "could be better."

"We are sisters and at the end of the day we always come together," she shared. "But we could be better and that's what I want, that's what I need in my life — to feel good."

Araya Diaz/WireImage Kathy Hilton and Kyle Richards

RELATED: Kyle Richards' Husband '1,000%' Supports Her 'If She's Not Ready to Reconcile' with Kathy Hilton

Tensions rose between Kathy and Kyle in an episode of RHOBH that aired in September, as the reality stars headed to Aspen.

After Kathy tried to get her costars to her taste tequila brand, Casa Del Sol (which she and her daughters invested in) she got upset at Kyle for not defending her after Lisa Rinna's apparent snub. (Lisa sipped Kendall Jenner's 818 Tequila and complemented its sweet taste instead of trying Kathy's).

Ultimately, Kathy left the group and could be heard saying "too f---ing disgusting," as she walked away. She added, "I am f---ing pissed off!"

"Once Kathy is mad, it's hard to turn that around," Kyle said in a confessional. "Listen, Kathy can be so much fun and funny. She can also be very difficult. The part that bothers me so much is how much I let it affect me. That's where it's different with friends versus sisters."

Things got progressively worse between the sisters after Kathy's "breakdown" in Aspen. After leaving a nightclub early with Kathy, Lisa alleged that Kathy started "screaming about everything" and said, "I will destroy Kyle and her family if it's the last thing I ever do."

Things then came to head on RHOBH season 12 reunion, which left Kyle in tears and a rekindling of their relationship uncertain.

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During BravoCon in October, Kathy said of their rivalry: "We love each other. We're family. I think she's beginning to really see through things." She added that she's "not speaking" to her sister right now but would be open to a conversation.

A source previously told PEOPLE there was "a lot of tense energy" between the sisters during the reunion.

"They cannot reconcile, and it's all so complicated because nobody's backing down. Kyle has backed up her sister for years and no matter what she does, Kathy isn't satisfied," the source said. "What we're watching is years of family trauma that hasn't been dealt with in a family dynamic."