"She makes me laugh" — The Real Housewives of Dubai star Chanel Ayan reflects on her friendship with Caroline Stanbury

The Real Housewives of Dubai season 2 released the first part of its reunion episode on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. The cast members gathered to recall their time on the show and discuss the complexities of their interpersonal relationships. Throughout the show, viewers saw strong friendships crumble and new ones emerge between unexpected people, causing disagreements.

One such friendship developed between Chanel Ayan and Caroline Stanbury, who used to be enemies in season 1. Their relationship gradually evolved and transformed into friendship. However, Ayan's closeness with Caroline Stanbury affected her relationship with her long-time friend, Lesa Milan.

When host Andy Cohen questioned Ayan about her connection with Caroline, despite having contrasting personalities, The Real Housewives of Dubai cast member said:

"She's funny, like she's really, really funny, she makes me laugh, you know what I mean. And I like her straightforwardness. She doesn't play with bullsh*t, she tells me how she feels."

The duo opened up about reconciling after their feud in season 1. They mutually agreed to move on and get over the awkwardness. Ayan and Caroline confessed their friendship deepened since they were similar on several levels.

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The Real Housewives of Dubai star Caroline Stanbury says she was stuck on plane with Ayan for 16 hours

Ayan revealed she mended her relationship with Caroline soon after season 1's reunion. The pair found themselves talking to each other after being stuck on a plane for several hours with no wiggle room.

"When we left here last year, we were stuck on a plane for 16 hours together. Stuck," Ayan mentioned.

As a result, they "had a drink" and "started talking." Caroline added they wanted to move on from their disagreement to overcome the "horrible" awkwardness it caused when they met with other friends.

Having reconciled, Caroline realized she and Ayan were not too different from each other.

"I think our kids going to college and going through all of that is quite similar. And the way we were brought up, oddly," Caroline noted.

Although Ayan went to one "form of boarding school" while Caroline went to a "more privileged one," it helped the latter understand Ayan's reactions and reasons.

When Andy asked Caroline why she did not inform the other The Real Housewives of Dubai cast members about her budding friendship with Ayan, she said she wanted to form her own unbiased opinion of her.

"I just felt that I wanted to see if there was any route to a better relationship, without anyone's opinion as to who she really was," Caroline explained.

Lesa chimed in and revealed that Ayan, her former best friend, who used to share everything with her, did not tell her about her conversation with Caroline. She admitted she was jealous of their growing closeness and wanted Ayan to maintain her distance. She called it quits with Ayan when she did not get the desired outcome.

The Real Housewives of Dubai star Taleen noted Lesa was the "most bothered" by Caroline's friendship with Ayan, and at the same time, claimed that Caroline Brooks acted as the "cheerleader" in Ayan and Lesa's fallout. She accused her of enjoying watching "the demise of their friendship."

Brooks denied Taleen's allegations by stating that although she got a sense of "comedic relief" from their feud, it bothered her when it took an emotional toll on Ayan.

Later, Ayan and Lesa got into a heated argument when the latter claimed Ayan complained to her about Caroline Stanbury. Their conversation ended on a bitter note with Lesa confessing their newfound friendship did not threaten her.

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The Real Housewives of Dubai season 2 Reunion Part Two will air on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, only on Bravo.