Lisa Rinna is shedding light on a tumultuous experience she endured while working alongside one of her 'Days of Our Lives' co-stars. The 62-year-old actress, known for her breakout role as Billie Reed in the popular soap opera during the '90s alongside Robert Kelker-Kelly, who portrayed her love interest Bo Brady, has revealed in her new memoir, 'You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It,' that their real-life dynamic was far from harmonious.
"Behind the scenes, we hated each other," the 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' alum wrote, adding, "Remember when Kathy Hilton said I was the biggest bully in Hollywood? Not true. Not even close! I have legitimate stories about the real bullies in this town. Robert Kelker-Kelly is one of those bullies."
"He made my life a living hell on the set of 'Days'," she continued. "He was horrible to me. I'd go so far as to say verbally abusive. He was passive-aggressive, manipulative, and played weird mind games."
The 'Traitors' star explained that the pair filmed together "every day, often half naked" for their scenes as a couple, which she struggled to navigate. "If I didn't do what he wanted, he'd give me the silent treatment," she claimed. "He was a ticking time bomb. I never knew when I arrived on set each morning if I'd get the nice Robert Kelker-Kelly or the dark Robert Kelker-Kelly. He was unpredictable and it was exhausting."
Both Rinna and Kelker-Kelly joined the daytime show in 1992, which later earned them a Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Soap Couple in 1995. That same year, they both exited their roles. Over the years, Rinna made several brief returns to the series before reprising her role in Peacock's 'Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem' in 2021. Kelker-Kelly went on to play Stavros Cassadine on 'General Hospital.'
Kelker-Kelly did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. 'You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It' marks Rinna's first-ever memoir and her first book in over a decade, succeeding 'Rinnavation: Getting Your Best Life Ever' (2009) and 'The Big, Fun, Sexy Sex Book' (2012).
"From her career to her personal life to spilling all the tea," an official synopsis reads. "If she’s experienced it ... you better believe she’s gonna talk about it!" The same synopsis also quotes the author, who teases: "This mouth has gotten me in so much trouble."
In September, she teased the book’s contents in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE: "I don't know if everyone is ready for all of the truth I am unloading in this book," she said. "But I was certainly ready to tell it."
"Life comes with a lot of ups and downs, and so much of it gets lost 'in the editing,' if you will. It was time to share the director's cut," Rinna added. "I put so much of myself into this book; the good, the bad, and the wackadoodle. It feels really good to see it finally come together."
In other words, she concluded, "The vault is open, honey!" 'You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It' is available wherever books are sold.
