From Nurse To Reality Star: Inside Luann D’Agostino’s AMAZING Life Before ‘RHONY'

Why have you teamed up with Einstein Bros. Bagels to raise awareness for National Nurses Week?

I’m a licensed practical nurse, so when Einstein asked me to help give nurses the recognition they deserve, I couldn’t say no. We want to get the word out there to raise awareness.

What should people know about Einstein Bros. Bagels’ National Nurses Week promotion?

On Thursday, May 11, 2017, participating Einstein Bros. Bagels stores are giving a free Espresso Buzz Bagel and schmear to any nurse who stops by wearing his or her scrubs or shows nurse ID. They also have a Boosted Bagel line with bagels containing caffeine, omegas, proteins, and antioxidants, which is awesome, because nurses work long hours. We all drink coffee, but this is another way of getting that boost!

How did you get involved in nursing?

I grew up in a big family in Connecticut, and we all had to work. I babysat for a family who owned a rest home for the elderly. I wanted to make more money…so I would do dishes in the rest home kitchen. And my mother used to come and pick me up, and I’d be waiting outside for her, and I’d be sitting with the elderly who lived there.

I would talk to them and I just found them so extremely interesting. I just found my passion...I went to nursing school, and I went back to work in that rest home. So from doing dishes to being a nurse…it was great. It was one of the most gratifying things I’ve ever done in my life. I just fell in love with them. I literally fell in love with the elderly.

How long were you a nurse? Why did you stop?

I was a nurse for about three years. I had a nurse’s aid that worked for me, who was beautiful, who said, “I’m going in the Miss Connecticut beauty pageant, but I won’t go unless you come with me…” Finally, I said, “Okay, all right, I’ll go with you.” And I did terrible! But there was a guy there who told me about a modeling competition in Hartford…so I was like, “Okay, I’ve come this far, why not?” I went into this little competition they had in Hartford, and I won a photo shoot in NYC.

From this one photo shoot…I started getting bookings. I used to work on the side as a model in New York…I eventually moved to New York. Then I got my license to practice in New York…I was still working as a nurse. So I was a model slash nurse. Usually it’s a model slash actress or a model slash waitress!

How has being a nurse impacted your life? Has it influenced your approach to relationships on the show?

Nursing serves you your whole life…whether it’s from having children to being on the show, to dealing with the death of my father in hospice, it teaches you a lot. And it’s something that’s very helpful in life in general.

Would you ever go back to nursing?

I love helping, and I just might. I’m actually thinking about doing something in terms of health care facilities for the elderly…I feel like the elderly are put by the wayside, and I think there’s a real need for beautiful places for them to live out the last years of their lives.

You recently got married! Can fans look forward to seeing your wedding to Tom on this season of RHONY?

I wanted my wedding to be personal and private, so we decided that we didn’t want to have the wedding filmed by Bravo. We had a videographer who took footage of the wedding, and so I’m going to share some of that footage on the show…I felt it was important to share some of that special moment with my fans.