Southern Charm’s Patricia Altschul Shares Her Secrets to Staying Youthful at 83

   

The Grand Dame of Charleston made her "first and last" Southern Charm reunion appearance, and it was appropriately fabulous.

The legendary Patricia Altschul made an in-person cameo during the Southern Charm Season 10 reunion, and it was exactly as fabulous as fans would hope for.

Even though Charleston's Grande Dame quipped that it would be her "first and last" reunion appearance, she made the most of it.

Ms. Patricia is known for stealing every scene she appears in with her wit, candor, and regal personality, and host Andy Cohen reflected that it's been that way since the show's earliest days.

"Ms. Pat, you look exactly the same," said Andy, awed. "What's your secret?"

Could it be her regular blowouts? Enviable collection of glittering muumuus? Celebrating of champagne and martinis?

Patricia Altschul's anti-aging secrets

Per Patricia, it's much simpler (and cheekier) than that.

Her response to Andy: "Botox everywhere."

At least that's easier for most fans to achieve than a palatial mansion and full-time staff.

Patricia Altschul weraing a blue bejeweled kaftan in front of a mural of her back yard

Patricia talks friendship with Madison LeCroy

While reflecting on Southern Charm's initial seasons, Andy mentioned that Madison LeCroy was "around" even before joining the cast as Austen Kroll's on-again, off-again love interest.

"We've been friends for 17, 18 years now," Patricia said of Madison, her go-to hairstylist long before Southern Charm's 2014 debut.

"I invited her to a lot of the early parties," the hostess revealed, adding, "Two of the guys here tried to hook up with her!" (The two? A sheepish Craig Conover, and possibly Shep Rose, who "doesn't care," but "maybe [he] did" make a pass at Austen's ex once upon a time.)

"Well, the friendship that the two of you share really resonates," observed Andy.

"Yeah," Patricia gushed, "I love her."

"Aww," said Madison, blushing. "I love you!"

Madison Lecroy wearing a black gown in front of palm tree wall paper

When did Patricia Altschul join Southern Charm?​​​

Patricia has been making regular appearances since Southern Charm Season 1 — but it took her a while to warm up to the idea.

"I didn't want to do it," she admitted to Andy.

Fortunately for her fans, Patricia's son Whitney Sudler-Smith — one of the series producers since the beginning — convinced her to submit a brief casting tape.

In her short scene, the Eat, Drink, and Remarry author (in full glam, of course) jokes about being used to "being filmed in my boudoir" and is served a martini by butler Michael Kelcourse. The rest is TV history.

As Andy said during the reunion, "I remember being on the [producing] side of it at Bravo, and we always wanted more Ms. Pat."