"I feel like I have a very strong personality ... so many times I meet people and they're like, 'Oh my God, you're kind of a firecracker,' and I'm like, 'I know.' I just can't get it out with those ladies, nor do I want to or need to," she told People.
Taekman insists, though, that her two seasons on the show weren't all bad.
"To me it was sort of like a sorority, but in a good way," she said. "There was something amazing about having those two years of spending a ton of time with your girlfriends. I feel like later in life, you're busy with your kids, you're busy with your family, you're busy with your work and you don't get to spend as much time with girlfriends, so I really cherish that time."
But to Taekman, 38, girlfriend time wasn't worth sticking it out for another season and admits, "I don't miss the drama of it."
And she's kept some close friends from her time on the show. "We actually just went away with Jonathan [Schindler] and Heather [Thomson] – we were in Florida for a weekend," Taekman revealed. (Thomson also left the series after season 7.)
Those two seasons were clearly not easy for Taekman, 38, but life outside of the series was just as – if not more – challenging. In July 2015, the Ashley Madison hack revealed that her husband, Josh, was a member of the extramarital affair website.
"I think we've grown," she told reporters at the benefit.
As to whether she'll make an appearance on season 8, Taekman would only say, "Stay tuned."
Photo Credit: Bravo