"You sign up to show our real lives. You can't hide anything. Do I think it's comfortable to talk about my daughter's eating disorder? No, but that's life…Denise has a secret and

"You sign up to show our real lives. You can't hide anything. Do I think it's comfortable to talk about my daughter's eating disorder? No, but that's life…Denise has a secret and no matter how hard you try, the truth always comes out," Lisa Rinna said in a confessional.

The icing on the cake, on this reality TV gift came when viewers heard a producer off-camera ask Denise, "So, Denise. You ready to talk about all this?" The only response viewers got: a mischievous smile that only a seasoned Hollywood pro like Denise Richards could deliver.

That's how you handle story that took on a life of its own.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays, 8 p.m. on Bravo.

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)