4 Oct 2012 09:15 AM EST

-by David Guzman, Staff Writer; Image: Alexis Bellino (Image Source: Kelsey McNeal / Bravo)

Although Alexis Bellino left The Real Housewives of Orange County quietly in September, Heather Dubrow told The Stir Tuesday she didn’t do so on her own terms.

“Well, I know a bit about the real circumstances under which she is leaving and it’s not how she’s portraying it to the press,” she said. “I will tell you this much, I think she should come back but I’m not really sure it was her choice.”

It’s hard to be sure of anything, judging from what Dubrow said about her behavior.

“We apologized to each other for some misconceptions and misunderstandings, for feelings that were hurt for many reasons,” she said. “Then two days later, she gave some nasty interviews about me to the press.”

She claimed she’s not the only one on the set Bellino gave a hard time to, either.

“Anyone who has a toddler understands how she treats the crew,” she said. “Actually, my toddler is nicer.”

While Bellino said in a release that she has a special place in her heart for the show, she maintained that she has a higher calling.

“Although Bravo made me a very generous offer and I’m thankful to have had this experience, I will be leaving the show behind to focus on my family and other opportunities,” she said. 

After rumors that her days on the show were numbered started getting around, her husband said he was looking forward to her departure.

“I absolutely do not want her on the show,” Jim Bellino told Wetpaint in July. “But Alexis will do what she wants to do.”