Gretchen Rossi Sets Real Housewives of Orange County Return for Season 19

Gretchen Rossi is ready to visit some old friends.

Rossi, 46, will be making a return to The Real Housewives of Orange County for season 19, PEOPLE can confirm.

According to Variety, which was the first to report the news, Rossi will join the cast in a part-time role as a “friend.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

The outlet reported that filming for the show began this week with Heather Dubrow, Tamra Judge, Shannon Storms Beador, Emily Simpson, Jennifer Pedranti, Katie Ginella and Gina Kirschenheiter all making a return.

Alexis Bellino, who appeared as a friend of the group in season 18, announced her exit from the franchise while guest-hosting the Going Rogue podcast last month. She expressed that she was not asked to return.

After the news was made public, Bravo shouted out Rossi on X, writing, “She’s back and ready to make fetch happen. Gretchen Rossi joins #RHOC for Season 19!”

Rossi also hinted at her return, writing on her Instagram Stories, “Here we go!! #rhoc”

As fans may remember, Rossi joined The Real Housewives of Orange County in 2008 during season 4, when she was engaged to Jeff Beitzel,  who was 24 years her senior and had been diagnosed with cancer. Beitzel died by the time the season began airing, per Variety.

A year later, she would begin dating Slade Smiley, who was previously engaged to original cast member Jo De La Rosa.

Rossi proposed to Smiley in 2013 and the engagement aired season 8 of the show.

Although the reality star exited the reality series after season 8, she appeared as a guest during season 12, per Variety.

While she and Smiley have yet to walk down the aisle, Rossi would share with PEOPLE in 2016 that the two already “feel married.”

“The truth is that Slade and I already feel married and we’re in a very committed relationship as if we were married, and so it’s not something that we feel like we have to have a marriage certificate to qualify our love for each other,” she told PEOPLE at the time.

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.  

The couple welcomed daughter Skylar Gray Smiley together in July 2019, and previously co-hosted the Knot Too Taboo podcast.