“RHOBH”'s Bozoma Saint John Reveals the ‘Scariest’ Part About Joining the Show: 'I Had Never Been Public With...' (Exclusive)

The businesswoman spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about learning how to be more comfortable with bringing more private elements of her life to the Bravo series

Griffin Nagel/Bravo via Getty  Bozoma Saint John on

Griffin Nagel/Bravo via Getty

Bozoma Saint John on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" season 14 premiere

Even though Bozoma "Boz" Saint John has plenty of experience in major boardrooms, she reveals one thing in particular scared her when signing up for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Boz, 47, joined the franchise for its 14th season in November 2024, and previously held leadership roles at PepsiCo, Apple Music, Uber, Endeavor and Netflix.

The celebrated author, podcaster and marketing executive, 47, confessed to PEOPLE in an exclusive interview about her freshman season that the scariest part of joining the series was going public with her relationship with Keely Watson.

Viewers were introduced to Keely and Boz went on a beach outing. He later lent a hand as she underwent fibroid surgery.

ADVERTISEMENT

“This was the area that was probably the scariest going onto this show because I had never been public — when I say never, I mean never — with any romance that I've had in the last 11 years after losing my husband,” Boz, who was married to Peter Saint John for 10 years until his death in December 2015 from Burkitt's lymphoma, explained.

“Even when I was married, I still didn't really talk about my husband like that,” she told PEOPLE. “Of course, I've made a conscious choice to do that because I do think it's important.”

Nicole Weingart/Bravo via Getty Erika Jayne, Bozoma Saint John, Dorit Kemsley

Nicole Weingart/Bravo via Getty

Erika Jayne, Bozoma Saint John, Dorit Kemsley

She explained, “For people like me who have love and lost — regardless of how that loss came about, if it was widowhood or divorce or separation — we deserve to be loved.”

“We deserve to be hopeful about love. I don't think it diminishes me at all to be a woman of my esteem and say that I want love, that I want a man in my life," Boz continued, noting that she doesn’t think confessing to that need makes her “less than.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Related: RHOBH Star Bozoma Saint John & Daughter Revived a Christmas Tradition — with Special Connection to Her Late Husband

“I want all of the things,” she said before reiterating that “it's been really scary to be that open about that part of [her] life.” 

“What I'm hoping is that people get to see that part of me, which I don't share often, which is that I am also complicated in that way,” she added. “I'm struggling with being in love and also trying to expand my family and discovering whether or not I am compatible enough with somebody else to commit for life.”

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic Bozoma Saint John at The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood on July 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Bozoma Saint John at The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood on July 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

The TV personality also told PEOPLE that along with sharing her relationship with the world, she is also working “to be a better girlfriend.”

“I want to be better as a friend. I want to be better as a businesswoman,” she said. “I want to be a better mother. And I want to be a better, well-suited human —  and that includes my health.” Adding, “So I think in all parts of my life, I just want to get better and better.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Related: RHOBH's Bozoma Saint John Recalls Friend Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas' Wedding: 'Weekend of Incredible Luxury' (Exclusive)

As for steps to improve her health, she revealed she has cut dairy from her diet and partnered with Violife to help her achieve her goal. “They have nondairy products that I can easily substitute for the things that I have in my life,” she explained.

Boz is speaking about this journey to better her health because she "wanted to be able to share with people as much about how to better your life," she said, adding, "I don't want to keep secrets about how to be better in my health too. I want to share everything."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

New episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Bravo and can be streamed the next day on Peacock.

Read the original article on People