Kim Richards News: 'RHOBH' Talks Monty Brinson Death, Sobriety [VIDEO]

Kim Richards spoke candidly about her ex-husband, Monty Brinson, and her struggles with alcoholism during a series of interviews with PEOPLE Magazine last month.

Just months after losing Brinson, whom she'd been extremely close to in the years leading up to his passing, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star addressed his death.

"I miss him a lot," Richards told PEOPLE Magazine last week. "He was my best friend. I confided in him. He knew everything."

Brinson, the father of Richards' 30-year-old daughter, Brooke, passed away nearly one year after the reality star suffered a tragic alcohol relapse which led to an arrest last April, and as devastating as the loss was, Richards said he's still with her, and inspires her to remained focused on her sobriety.

"He told me he'd always be with us, watching and protecting," Richards said. "And I know he's still up there pushing me to do what I need to do. He's our angel."

As for her struggles with alcoholism, Richards said she didn't start drinking until her mid-20s.

"I had my first real drink at 24," Richards told PEOPLE Magazine, adding that while she had "sips every now and then" before that, her real problem developed after the demise of her second marriage.

"I was always disciplined and driven about my body and what I put into it, but the pressure with the divorce and the custody battle, it got to me," she said.

Richards split from Gregg Davis, the father of two of her children, Whitney, 26, and Chad, 24, in 1991.

"I started noticing I was drinking a lot," she recalled. "That's when my issue started."

Years later, Richards signed on to appear on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which she said was a "disorienting" experience, and a challenge for her sobriety.

"The drama started, and there was fighting and traveling, and I got overwhelmed," she admitted.

"I'm sorry for people I've let down," she said. "But my concern is to myself and to my children, first and foremost. I don't beat myself up because it makes it worse. I have to own it and accept it and move on."

For more Kim Richards, tune into The Mother/Daughter Experiment airing on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on Lifetime.