RHORI star Alicia Carmody reveals marriage news and season two personality 'tweak': 'This was the push I needed'

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island fan favorite Alicia Carmody is in wedding planning mode. 

For 10 years, Carmody has been engaged to Billy Kitsili, the restauranteur she shares nine-year-old daughter Celina with. 

Kitsillis even reaffirmed his love to Carmody, 41, on RHORI when he dropped down on one knee to give her the 'dream proposal' she had wanted, a decade after she first said 'yes.' 

Still, the couple have yet to walk down the aisle.  

Now, in an exclusive interview with The Daily Mail, Carmody has revealed wedding plans are in the works as she described how she will be spending the rest of her summer - along with a hint of what's to come on season two of RHORI.

'I'm definitely planning a marriage,' the busy mom-of-one  told The Daily Mail in an exclusive interview promoting her new 'Lunch Confessions' campaign with Ziploc. 

Their partnership has stood the test of time and goes beyond love; together, they run the restaurant Pizza Mamma - a venture she intends on expanding. 

Speaking of her summer plans, Carmody added: 'I am looking for new places for my restaurant. I'm trying to work more. I'm definitely such a dance mom, and I'm still trying to navigate that because people don't give dance moms a lot of credit.

‘It's a full-time job. I'm literally a stylist... The hair, the makeup, the outfits, driving everywhere, and just like balancing a big group of friends, trying to have fun.'

Carmody is also reassessing her social comfort zone. 

'Balancing my emotions, talking about things that make me uncomfortable. I'm sick of being Switzerland a lot in the situation. 

'I think it's a lot. I don't think they give Switzerland enough credit for people,' she said. 'Because no matter what, you're always trying to make everyone happy, but everyone ends up getting mad at you because they're like, "You didn't pick a side." 

'Well, why would I? I see both your points and I'm not in the fight and I just want you guys to make up.’

'That fuels the fight because that's not a friend. They don't realize that.' 

Perhaps that trait is what has made Carmody so beloved by viewers. 

The Bravolebrity has become a fan favorite since Real Housewives of Rhode Island debuted, catapulting her and her circle of friends to a whole new level of fame.

'pls do not ever change, you’re an icon,' a fan begged in a recent post.  

It is a reality that has yet to fully sink in: 'Adjusting to fame, I feel like it'll never hit me,' she said. 'When people say that they like, "Oh, we love the show. We think you're so fun. We love your family."  I'm like, "Are you [sure]?"'

'It still doesn't feel real. But the things that I've learned from season one is that, just be yourself. In season two, I feel like that's why people connected with me, and so like I'm growing a lot.'

Next season viewers will get to know a more mature Carmody.   

'So season two, you're gonna see me. I'm growing up at 41. It's never too late to grow up,' she said. 'I feel like this was a push I needed.'

Yet don't expect her to be undergoing any major changes.  

'I can't change too much because it's my DNA,' she said. 'I can always tweak things. ... Don't expect miracles from me. But I'm tweaking. I'm learning. You know, baby steps.' 

Rhode Island is the 12th city to receive the Housewives treatment.  

The Bravo franchise is now celebrating it's 20th anniversary and Carmody is grateful to all the iconic housewives who helped pave the path for her own success. 

'I can't believe it's real,' she said. 'I'm so thankful for all these women for giving us, you know, moms, like 40 plus, to have this position to help other women and be honest about your real life where people can judge you. But people are also learning from my mistakes too. 

'It's hard to watch me make mistakes on TV and the words that I say wrong. But there are so many people that are like, "I'm the same way."'

'It makes you feel good, you know, that there are other people that are out there and I'm just happy. Was it the OC, right? Was it Vicky and all that? Like, she put us on the map. Thank you.' 

The Real Housewives depicts an aspirational version of suburbia to viewers, but Carmody is aware the reality of parenthood is far from glamorous. 

It is a key component of her new 'Lunch Confessions' collaboration with Ziploc, which encourages parents everywhere to share the 'real lunch habits' they wouldn't normally advertise. 

'The campaign invites parents to submit their own Lunch Confessions on Reddit, creating a judgment-free space where they can share the real lunch habits they usually keep to themselves,' according to press materials. 

'Instead of asking parents to live up to unrealistic expectations, Ziploc® is encouraging them to embrace the systems that already work in their homes.'

A busy mom herself, Carmody uses the product for all of her needs, from food storage to beyond. 

'Every time I go to the beach, I bring a Ziploc bag because I put the wet bathing suit because we have showers where I go to the beach, and I put my wet bathing suit in a Ziploc,' she said.

'When I pack, I keep all my essential oils in a Ziploc bag. Sometimes my gum explodes,' she said, 'and I put a Ziploc.

'I use a Ziploc for everything, literally everything. So I feel like it keeps everything neat, and I can just grab it.'