'RHONY' Alum Heather Thomson Reveals Why She Cut Her Show Return Short amid Leah McSweeney Feud

Heather Thomson is doing what's best for her.

The former Real Housewives of New York City star was originally supposed to pop up as a guest throughout season 13, but she changed her tune following a weekend spent at Ramona Singer's Hamptons home.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight about returning to her Bravo roots this season, Thomson explained why she felt the need to cut her appearances short.

"My intention was to lean into the project, that was really my intention. But I get 24 hours in the day, just like you do and just like everybody else does," Thomson, 51, told the outlet in an interview published Tuesday. "When it came to deciding how I wanted to spend that 24 hours after that weekend, it was pretty easy for me to decide it wasn't with the girls."

Thomson explained that another "factor" in her decision to take a step back was Leah McSweeney, who called out the former New York Housewife during a Breakfast at Tiffany's-themed dinner in a recent episode. At the time, McSweeney read off quotes to the group that Thomson made about them on her podcast.

Among the other bumps the pair have faced include McSweeney denying allegations of bullying the RHONY alum and Thomson being accused of planting stories about their feud.

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"I wasn't really impressed to be honest," Thomson said of McSweeney. "I didn't know about any of her issues that I know about now, or the things that she's been trying to overcome and struggle with. I wish her the best on, on that journey. I felt very unfulfilled and I felt like this is not really a good use of my time. That's really what I was left feeling. And nobody else made me feel that way."

But a source close to McSweeney — who has been open about her past struggle with alcohol and celebrated one-year of sobriety in March — tells PEOPLE that "the information from Heather is misleading and being completely taken out of context."

"Viewers can easily see that Leah was going through a crisis during the four-day trip with her grandmother's impending final days and any reference to Leah's 'issues' paints a negative and dangerous rhetoric in regards to mental health and sobriety which Leah has and continues to speak openly about," says the source. "Heather is trying to derail a season that is historically making a mark within the RHONY franchise with a false narrative to save face and keep herself relevant."

Thomson announced her departure from RHONY in 2015 after three seasons. While she has since made appearances on the show, Thomson told ET that Bravo wanted her to make a permanent return following her cameo on season 12.

"I couldn't go back full time, I talked to Bravo execs about that, so a 'friend of' the show sounded really great," she explained.

"The trips, the cast trips, were a time when there was just the women. There weren't a lot of extras. When I was on, there were husbands and boyfriends and all kinds of people," she continued. "It's really more insular now, with all the women being single. I thought that I could lean into that [for] this season for the show. But, ultimately, that's not how it worked out for me, but that's okay."

Still, Thomson added that she would "never close the door on" an "opportunity" to return to RHONY again, saying that "one person is not going to change that."

The Real Housewives of New York City airs Tuesdays (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.