Exclusive! Gretchen Rossi Welcomes Newest Housewife with Open Arms

The posh Coto de Caza community in sunny southern California just got a little more blond: The Real Housewives of Orange County veteran Jeana Keough is out, and stay-at-home mom Alexis Bellino is in!

But is there more drama with a new member in the group? Not necessarily, says Gretchen Rossi, who finds the new kid on the block to be a breath of fresh air — and a bit of a lifesaver.

“The [other] women are mean and she’s not!” Gretchen told us Sunday night at the American Music Awards in L.A. “She’s a really good support system and she’s a true friend. I feel really blessed to have her.”

With fellow housewife Tamra Barney constantly stirring up trouble for the blond bombshell (fans will remember T infamously calling G a hooker), Gretchen says she can confide in her new BFF.

“Thank GOD she’s on the cast,” Gretchen said with a sigh of relief. “If she wasn’t I don’t know what I would have done.”