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A Real Housewives of Orange County Alum Is Returning for Season 12

Find out who will be back and better than ever in the upcoming #RHOC season.

By Laura Rosenfeld May 25, 2017, 11:02 AM ET

Is Lydia McLaughlin Returning to #RHOC?

As if the anticipation for the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Orange County wasn't already killing us, we're starting to get a clearer picture of which ladies will be returning for some more fun — and drama — in the California sun. In addition to the news that last season's newbie, Kelly Dodd, will be returning to the show, Season 12 of RHOC is about to get a blast from the past.

How to Watch

Watch The Real Housewives of Orange County on Thursdays at 9/8c and next day on Peacock. Catch up on the Bravo App.

Lydia McLaughlin will make her return to RHOC next season, Bravo confirms. Season 12 is set to premiere this summer.

What Has Lydia McLaughlin Been Up to Since the Real Housewives of Orange County?

Lydia was last seen on RHOC as part of the Season 8 cast where viewers got to know the then-mother of two and wife and her dedication to her family and faith. Since Season 8, Lydia has kept very busy, giving sons Stirling and Maverick a brother with the birth of son Roman in November 2014, penning the book Beyond Orange County: A Housewives Guide to Faith and Happiness, and starting her own lifestyle blog OC Lydia.

The RHOC mom and her husband Doug McLaughlin are still going strong, celebrating their 10-year wedding anniversary in April 2016 with a vow renewal ceremony in Laguna Beach, California. Lydia and Doug also launched the men's lifestyle magazine NOBLEMAN last October.

I love this man with all that I am... This weekend was very special for us, @ocdoug and I celebrated 10 years of marriage and we had quite the celebration. #MorePhotosToCome ð· @rodfoster ðº @thebloomoftime
A post shared by Lydia McLaughlin (@oclydia) on Apr 25, 2016 at 7:42am PDT

A post shared by Lydia McLaughlin (@oclydia) on Apr 16, 2017 at 11:09am PDT

One of Lydia's previous RHOC castmates, Heather Dubrow, revealed in January that she would not be appearing in the upcoming season. Andy Cohen teased to The Daily Dish what else we can expect from this season of RHOC. "The new season is, it's shifting alliances. I think you're gonna be surprised by Kelly Dodd this season," he told The Daily Dish at the NBCUniversal Upfront earlier this month. "And some old Housewives [are] returning and it's really good."

We can already tell this is going to be an epic season.

Get to know Lydia all over again by checking out these vintage pics, below.