Lisa Rinna Reveals She Wanted to Change Her Name to Lisa Hamlin — but Husband Harry Said No

Lisa Rinna Reveals She Wanted to Change Her Name to Lisa Hamlin — but Husband Harry Said No
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Lisa Rinna is opening up about why she kept opted not to change her name following her marriage to Harry Hamlin more than 25 years ago.

While filling in for Kelly Ripa as co-host on Live with Kelly and Ryan on Wednesday morning, the 59-year-old Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star said that while she continues to carry her own surname professionally, her legal name is officially Lisa Rinna Hamlin.

When asked if there was a discussion about the decision, Rinna told co-host Ryan Seacrest she had once proposed the idea of changing her last name publicly, too.

"It's interesting, because I wanted to change my name to Lisa Hamlin and Harry said, 'Why would you do that? Your name is Lisa Rinna professionally so don't mess with that,'" she said. "And so, if Harry tells you to do something, you do it. So that's why I did that. But I like having Hamlin as my legal name because that's the name of my children so I want to have something in common with someone, right?"

RELATED: Lisa Rinna Honors Daughter Amelia Gray Hamlin on Her 21st Birthday: 'We Are So Proud of You'

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Jim Spellman/WireImage Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin

In February, the couple opened up to PEOPLE about the secret to a successful and happy marriage ahead of their 25th wedding anniversary in March.

"[The secret is] being diametrically opposite," said Hamlin, 70. "I like going up to the mountains, and her idea of camping is anything below the 10th floor of the Four Seasons."

Rinna added, "We'll be married for 25 years in March, and I've worked hard. So I've picked out a very nice diamond."

Rinna, who shares daughters Delilah Belle and Amelia Gray with her husband, told Seacrest that both her attraction to and respect for her husband have stood the test of time.

"He walks into the kitchen and I get that feeling in my tummy, those butterflies. Important," she said.

Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin pose for a photo after their wedding at their home on March 29, 1997 in Beverly Hills, California
Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin pose for a photo after their wedding at their home on March 29, 1997 in Beverly Hills, California

Roxanne McCann/Getty

Rinna then went on to say that the fact that the two have "nothing in common" plays into their decades of success as a couple.

"It just works because I think what he does and what he likes, I'm super attracted to and I'm interested in," she said.  "And look what I do? I'm a kooky reality personality."

"You're more than that. You're a great parent, a great wife. You're all those amazing things," Seacrest, 47, responded before saying she reminded him of Ripa, 51.

"That's a huge compliment," Rinna said.  "I think Harry gets a kick out of me."

RELATED: Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin Celebrate 25th Wedding Anniversary: 'They Lived Happily Ever After'

In February, the couple told PEOPLE about the bumps they faced early on in their relationship.

"She played hard to get," the L.A. Law actor recalled.

"The Rules [a trendy self-help guide to dating] had just come out and it was written by women, for women to teach them how to get a man," he continued. "And in that book, one of the rules was, if you were called up by somebody and they asked you on a date, you had to say, 'No.' You had to wait at least a week or whatever. And I knew that she had read that book."

Hamlin added, "So I called her up and I said, 'Do you want to come to dinner at this Italian restaurant?' and she said, 'When?' I said, 'Well, how about in an hour?' And I hadn't talked to her in months. And, she showed up and broke all the rules."

"I'd just come from work [on Days of Our Lives] and had no makeup on," Rinna recalled. "So I guess I wasn't playing that hard to get."

Over the years, the couple has learned that a successful marriage boils down to mutual respect and an unwavering willingness to listen.

"We've always heard each other," Hamlin said.

Rinna added, "And it doesn't hurt that he's so good-looking."

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The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.