CNN || Atlanta 'Housewife' Burruss is still flying above

Not many people have had to grieve as publicly as Kandi Burruss.

The "Real Housewives of Atlanta" cast member said she appreciates all the love and support she's received from fans since the death of her former fiancé, Ashley "A.J." Jewell, though it's been hard for her to deal with having her emotions aired so publicly.

"That was super difficult," Burruss said in a telephone interview Friday. "Everybody wants to grieve with you. Everybody feels like you should be breaking down in tears."

"It's hard dealing with all of that stuff and everybody knows," she added. "When it comes to stuff like that, I don't like being sad and being all emotional in front of people."

The singer-songwriter shed some tears during the two-part reunion of the hit Bravo show as she recalled learning that Jewell had died after a fight at a club.

The moment was one of few in the finale that some fans felt actually demonstrated any emotion, given the subdued manner of the other Atlanta "Housewives."

There were even a few times that some cast members chose to be silent rather than answer uncomfortable questions.

Burruss said she believes cast mates Kim Zolciak and NeNe Leakes had decided before the reunion to not get dramatic on the show despite the best efforts of host Andy Cohen to draw them out.

"Housewives" producers were not thrilled with the more reserved atmosphere, Burruss said.

"[The producers] were really kind of upset because they felt that even though nobody wanted to be dramafied, at least you can answer the questions honestly," she said. "You don't have to be overly negative to answer a question.

"People want to know how you felt at the time that it happened, even if you aren't feeling that way now," Burruss continued. "You can't just go from being over the top to being a nun."

Burruss said she's happy with both the way she was portrayed on the show and the response fans have had to her.