Soap opera star Lisa Rinna is close to finalizing a deal to join the cast of Bravo's reality series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, a source close to the actress told Radar Online.

The 49-year-old and wife of actor Harry Halmin "really, really wants to join the show," the insider said. "Producers had initially asked Lisa to become a part of the show when it first launched, but she turned it down because she decided to do her own reality show for TV Land."

Rinna in February admitted that she was approached to join the Housewives cast and said "I was up for it...but then my show came along."

The TV Land series she starred in with her husband , Harry Loves Lisa, was ultimately cancelled. Rinna is now "honored" to be asked once again about joining the Bravo television cast. Negotiations are "going so well" that both parties think the deal could be made very soon, the insider said.

"She's exactly the new life that the show needs," the source said. "Lisa might come across as very sweet, but she isn't a pushover. She is also a very successful business owner and hopes to highlight her clothing boutique, Belle Gray, on the show."

Rinna has been married to 61-year-old Hamlin for 16 years. She starred in Melrose Place in the 1990s and if she joins the Housewives cast she will be considered a replacement for Adrienne Maloof, who confirmed earlier in the year that she will not be returning for the show's fourth season. Camille Grammer will also no longer appear on the show.

Two new cast members were added to season three of the Housewives: Yolanda H. Foster and Marisa Zanuck.

In February, Rinna was on Bravo's talk show Watch What Happens Live and discussed with host Andy Cohen the possibility of her joining the Housewives cast. Rinna said about the opportunity, "I don't know what it would be like once you get in that rat's nest of it all."

Tags: real housewives of beverly hills